• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

3

Ex-Google engineer says Larry Page, Sergey Brin and Sundar Pichai share the same trait—it's the lesson he swears by as a $7.2 billion AI CEO

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

3

Ex-Google engineer says Larry Page, Sergey Brin and Sundar Pichai share the same trait—it's the lesson he swears by as a $7.2 billion AI CEO
Leadership

Warren Buffett And Donald Trump Do Not Agree About the Economy

By
Alexandra Mondalek
Alexandra Mondalek
and
Money
Money
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Alexandra Mondalek
Alexandra Mondalek
and
Money
Money
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 12, 2016, 8:43 AM ET
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Annual General Meeting
Warren Buffett, chairman and chief executive officer of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., listens while playing cards on the sidelines the Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholders meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, U.S., on Sunday, May 1, 2016. Dozens of Berkshire Hathaway subsidiaries will be showing off their products as Chief Executive Officer Warren Buffett hosts the company's annual meeting.Photograph by Daniel Acker — Bloomberg via Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

This article originally appeared on money.com.

In an interview with Politico’s Playbook, the Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) CEO outlined his perspective on the U.S. economy, which Donald Trump described as being in the “weakest so-called recovery since the Great Depression.”

Buffett, a vocal supporter of Hillary Clinton, begs to differ. Here are his main arguments about where the economy stands and what it will take for growth to accelerate:

#1) A 2% growth rate is nothing to sneeze at:

Okay, the modest 2% growth that the U.S. economy has experienced in recent years is nothing like the 3%+ growth in gross domestic product in the 1980s and ’90s, or the 4%+ growth rate of the 1960s.

But contrary to popular political rhetoric, a projected economic growth rate of 2% through 2017 is not terrible, Buffett said. He points out:

“Even 2% growth in one generation will produce $19,000 more — per capita, not per household — of real GDP. Just imagine, on average, a family of four, $76,000 of added GDP in one generation. So 2% growth will do wonders for this country starting from this space. It doesn’t match our best years, but it’s pretty damn good.”

 

 

#2) You can’t expect much faster growth coming out of the financial crisis.

Buffett’s argument seems to directly contradict Trump’s negative views on the U.S. economy.

But Buffett says there’s a reason why this rebound still feels like the slowest recovery since the Great Depression to some. That’s because the global financial crisis was the closest thing the economy has seen to the Depression in nearly a century. And it takes a long time to get over the lingering effects of major economic crises.

“What you’ve seen overall since 2008 and ’09 — that was a wound to the American psyche. People were scared silly then … really we hadn’t had since the Great Depression… People don’t get over that very quickly. When they started worrying about their money-market funds, and they start worrying about their jobs and they worry about the economy coming off the tracks, and banks and everything else, they don’t forget about that six months later.”

#3) As productivity grows, so will the economy.
To be sure, the U.S. economy faces persistent economic challenges today —sluggish wage growth is often cited as a primary contributor to worker malaise, and the seven-year-old bull market is long overdue for a correction. But Buffett believes the real key to re-accelerating the economy is innovation and productivity.

“If you don’t improve productivity, you don’t go anyplace. And fortunately, we have a system—we’re in the early innings of it, but we have a system where lots and lots and lots of people who are very smart are thinking about ways to both come up with new products, and to increase productivity and that’s the way we move ahead. And America is wonderfully positioned for that.”

The bad news: Productivity has declined over the last three quarters, far off economists’ estimates that the measure of U.S. output would actually improve.

So, is our economy “pretty damn good” after all? That depends on your expectations.

About the Authors
By Alexandra Mondalek
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By Money
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Leadership

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Leadership

Target worker stocks shelves
SuccessJobs
Target is starting to track employees’ unexcused lateness and absences with a points system—and if they rack up 12, they’re fired
By Emma BurleighJune 29, 2026
28 minutes ago
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: ‘sadly,’ it makes the world a worse place
SuccessMacKenzie Scott
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: ‘sadly,’ it makes the world a worse place
By Sydney LakeJune 29, 2026
49 minutes ago
Dave Portnoy
SuccessCareers
Dave Portnoy quit an $80K sales job to start Barstool—he hand-delivered papers in a secondhand van while living with his girlfriend’s mom for 6 years
By Preston ForeJune 29, 2026
49 minutes ago
Coworkers watching World Cup at a bar
NewslettersFortune Workplace Innovation
How smart employers are turning the World Cup into a workplace win
By Emma BurleighJune 29, 2026
3 hours ago
Ray Dalio attends the Fortune Global Forum Riyadh 2025 on October 27, 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
SuccessRay Dalio
Ray Dalio was a ‘below average’ student who got into investing by caddying for Wall Street traders: Now he hires talent who have experienced hardship
By Eleanor PringleJune 29, 2026
5 hours ago
As JPMorgan’s CEO race heats up, the case for a two-person succession contest is put to the test
C-SuiteNext to Lead
As JPMorgan’s CEO race heats up, the case for a two-person succession contest is put to the test
By Ruth UmohJune 29, 2026
5 hours ago

Most Popular

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
4 days ago
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Success
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
By Preston ForeJune 27, 2026
2 days ago
Ex-Google engineer says Larry Page, Sergey Brin and Sundar Pichai share the same trait—it's the lesson he swears by as a $7.2 billion AI CEO
Success
Ex-Google engineer says Larry Page, Sergey Brin and Sundar Pichai share the same trait—it's the lesson he swears by as a $7.2 billion AI CEO
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 28, 2026
1 day ago
Cristiano Ronaldo is soccer's first-ever billionaire: He went from begging for burgers outside McDonald's to landing a $400 million contract
Success
Cristiano Ronaldo is soccer's first-ever billionaire: He went from begging for burgers outside McDonald's to landing a $400 million contract
By Preston ForeJune 28, 2026
1 day ago
The retired college professor fighting a $313 trespassing ticket in Wisconsin thinks he's part of a national struggle
Environment
The retired college professor fighting a $313 trespassing ticket in Wisconsin thinks he's part of a national struggle
By Catherina GioinoJune 28, 2026
1 day ago
Iran is forcing the U.S. into an escalation trap as a 'shadow war' over the Strait of Hormuz heats up that could kill the tenuous ceasefire
Politics
Iran is forcing the U.S. into an escalation trap as a 'shadow war' over the Strait of Hormuz heats up that could kill the tenuous ceasefire
By Jason MaJune 28, 2026
22 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.