In the past decade and a half, the US has done incredibly well economically compared to other countries. It added millions of jobs and quickly put the COVID pandemic behind it. Do things need to be “made great” again?
A lot of time, effort and money goes into presidential and national elections in the United States and this year is no exception.
But combing through the data since 2009 shows that no matter who was in power, the economy seemed to be equally driven by global events, demographic developments and decisions made in the White House.
The period from 2009 to 2024 covers both of Barack Obama’s two terms in the White House, plus the single presidential terms of Donald Trump and Joe Biden, which is slowly coming to an end.
There were two major disruptors during this time for the economy. The first was the financial crisis that started before Obama took office and the COVID-19 pandemic that struck during Trump’s time in office.
The financial crisis led some to fear the collapse of the entire banking system. Soon afterward GM and Chrysler declared bankrupt to reorganize themselves and the housing market — specifically mortgages — was spinning out of control.
The COVID-19 pandemic had a more immediate impact on the US and global economies. Lockdowns, shortages due to delicate supply chains and the closure of borders caused chaos, deaths and massive job losses.
Partly through large stimulus checks, the US managed to get out of the pandemic slump fast, picking up where the economy left off, creating a strong recovery.
One problem comparing the impact presidents and their policies make is the lag in time it takes for them to make a difference. Investing in infrastructure or industries like chipmaking is necessary, but the benefits are way in the future. Tightening the border to Mexico may keep out some migrants, but the impact of missing workers takes time to hit supermarket prices.
Another problem is assessing the impact of presidents separately from decisions made together with policymakers in Congress or independent institutions like the Federal Reserve.
Since 1990, American gross domestic product (GDP) per capita has grown each year except 2009 and that was another knock-on effect of the financial crisis. Last year, the country’s GDP per capita was over $81,000 (€74,700).
At the same time, when it comes to the annual percentage of growth per capita, China and India have had stronger growth. Despite this higher growth rate, America’s per capita GDP is still three times higher than China’s and eight times higher than that of India.
In 2023, America’s overall GDP was an astounding $27.36 trillion, making it by far the biggest economy in the world. China came a distant second at $17.66 trillion, followed by Germany and Japan.
In the first few months of Obama’s time in office, unemployment went up because of the financial crisis. From April 2009 to September 2011, it was at 9% or more.
After that, it slowly crept down until it reached its lowest level since the 1960s, before a short-lived spike during the COVID-19 pandemic put many out of a job. This year it has hovered around 4%.
On another front, American workers are more productive than others thanks to innovation, spending on research and development, and the willingness of workers to change jobs or move.
Another measure that has increased is pay inequality. America is the most unequal country in the G7 group. The top 1% of Americans hold a huge proportion of the country’s wealth.
In the US, to get into the top 1% of earners requires an annual household income of around $1 million a year before taxes. In the UK it only takes around $250,000.
Company bosses’ pay was over 250 times more than their average employee, wrote Barak Obama in The Economist in October 2016.
Moreover, in 1979 “the top 1% of American families received 7% of all after-tax income. By 2007, that share had more than doubled to 17%,” he wrote. More positively the proportion of people living in extreme poverty fell.
The exact number of illegal crossings into the US is hard to measure. Legal migration on the other hand can be counted. One measure of this is the number of green cards granted and from 2009 to 2022 over 14 million people were given such status.
The foreign-born population living in America, legally or otherwise, has grown considerably over the past 50 years in size and share of the population, according to a report issued by the US Census Bureau in April.
In 1970, there were 9.6 million foreign-born residents. By 2022, there were over 46 million, or nearly 14% of the total population.
Of the overall total, nearly one-third of the country’s foreign-born came to the US in 2010 or later and half live in just four states: California, Texas, Florida and New York. More than half have become citizens.
Since January 2009, inflation has gone on a wildride based on the Consumer Price Index.
When Obama took office, inflation was at zero, went into negative territory and eventually climbed to a high of 9.1% in June 2022. This past September, it was down to 2.4%, the lowest since February 2021.
This relatively short period of higher inflation is having a long afterlife and has led to big cost of living increases for many Americans.
Consumer prices are up, and voters are very unhappy about it. It is one of the most important issues this year and could decide the election in swing states. It is also one of the hardest things for any president to control.
Edited by: Uwe Hessler
Author: Timothy Rooks, Rodrigo Menegat Schuinski
He spoke to a crowd in Akwa Ibom State, emphasising the importance of voter participation and electoral accountability.
Former governor of Anambra State and 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has issued a warning that electoral officials who fail to count votes in the 2027 elections will face consequences.
He spoke to a crowd in Akwa Ibom State, emphasizing the importance of voter participation and electoral accountability.
“In the upcoming election in 2027, anybody who refuses to count our vote, we will count the person join. Anybody who refused to count our votes in 2027, we will count him.”
The event concluded with calls for citizens and political actors to support a credible and peaceful electoral process in 2027.
Obi left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after disagreements over the party’s nomination process ahead of the 2023 presidential election.
He subsequently joined the Labour Party and contested the 2023 presidential election under its platform.
His campaign drew widespread attention across Nigeria, especially among young voters, and was noted for its emphasis on transparency and accountability in the electoral process.
Observers said Obi’s experience in the 2023 election has shaped his continued focus on electoral integrity and the proper counting of votes ahead of 2027.
In December 2025, Obi formally joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC), signaling his continued involvement in national politics and his commitment to participating in future elections under a new party platform.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) postponed the date of the general election in 2003 after Christians protested over a clash with Easter.
INEC had initially fixed April 19, 2003, for the governorship and state house of assembly elections.
The date, however, coincided with Holy Saturday, a day preceding Easter Sunday, a significant event on the Christian calendar.
In a statement at the time, the conference said the decision demonstrated insensitivity to the religious commitments of a large segment of the population.
The bishops implored INEC to move the election in the spirit of inclusiveness and national harmony.
The protest sparked public debate over the need to balance electoral timelines with religious observances.
Following consultations and mounting pressure, INEC announced a shift in the election date.
The commission subsequently moved the governorship and state assembly elections to a new date in the same month.
Atiku, others kick against 2027 general election dates
A similar debate has been ignited after the electoral umpire announced dates for the 2027 general election.
Joash Amupitan, INEC chairman, on Friday announced dates for the presidential and national assembly elections during a news conference in Abuja.
“By virtue of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), tenure of the president, vice-president, governors and deputy governors of states of the federation (except Anambra, Bayelsa, Edo, Ekiti, Imo, Kogi, Ondo, and Osun states) will expire on the 28th day of May, 2027 while membership of the national and state assemblies will stand dissolved on the 8th day of June, 2027,” he said.
Outrage trailed the announcement on social media following reports that the dates fall within the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
They said that the physical challenges of fasting could affect how many people vote, and might also slow down the work of people watching the elections and those in charge of running them.
He asked the commission to think again about the February 20, 2027 date, because he was worried it would clash with the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
On Friday, through his official X account, Atiku mentioned that the suggested date is “right in the middle of the Ramadan period (February 7 to March 8, 2027), a special time for fasting, thinking, and spiritual practice for many Nigerian Muslims.”
Bashir Ahmad, who used to work closely with late former president Muhammadu Buhari, also asked INEC to think again about the dates.
He tagged INEC on his X post, which partly said: “If the goal is to promote full and inclusive involvement in the election process, holding such an important national event during Ramadan could create difficulties for many people in the country.
“Many Muslims often cut back on busy daily tasks during this time so they can focus more on their religious duties. Because there are a lot of Muslims in this country, it might be a good idea to think again about when something happens so that more people can take part and it’s easier for everyone. I hope this observation is understood in a way that promotes unity and brings people together.”
INEC vows to review 2027 election dates
However, INEC, through a statement from the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, said the schedule was created carefully following the timeframes set out in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), the Electoral Act, 2022, and the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for Conducting Elections, 2022.
Haruna said that the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for conducting elections, which have been in place since 2019, set the dates when elections are to be held.
He quoted paragraph two of the regulation, which says: “The elections for the offices of President and Vice President, as well as the National Assembly, will take place on the third Saturday of February in any general election year. The elections for the offices of Governor and Deputy Governor, as well as the State Houses of Assembly, will happen two weeks after that.”
He added, “Based on this, and following these existing laws and rules carefully, the Commission set Saturday, February 20, 2027, for the Presidential and National Assembly elections, and Saturday, March 6, 2027, for the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections.”
Even though the above points are considered, the Commission said it has acknowledged the worries raised by stakeholders about the planned dates overlapping with some nationally recognized holidays and events.
The Commission said it wants to let the public know that it is aware of all valid worries that could affect how people vote and how elections are run in general.
He said that because of these changes, “the Commission is now talking to different groups and might, if needed, ask for legal changes to deal with the issues raised, but always making sure any changes follow the laws and the constitution.”
INEC said it would continue to emphasize its strong dedication to being open, fair, and ensuring the 2027 General Election is conducted honestly and reliably.
Chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association, NBA, Electoral Reform Committee, Monday Ubani, SAN, says the Senate’s proposal on the Electoral Reform Amendment Bill leaves room for error.
Ubani made this statement on Saturday while fielding questions in an interview on Arise Television.
He said that both electronic transmission and transfer involve manual collation that happens in collation centers, stressing that nothing has changed.
According to him, IREV is just for viewing results, maintaining that it does not calculate or tabulate results.
The lawyer added that the issue most Nigerians have with the Senate’s version is that there’s room for communications failure that can be illegally taken advantage of.
“The Senate proposed bill leaves room for electoral error. If there are differences, there will be a harmonization committee to look at those differences and come up with a harmonized version for transmission to the President for assent.
“And I’m very happy that the House of Representatives did theirs last year and then the Senate have actually also passed their own version and there are differences and then the committee will sit on Monday in order to harmonize that position.
“The position of the law, which is 2022 Act, was that it gave INEC the responsibility of issuing out a guideline or prescribing a guideline as to the mode of transfer.
“The problem with our electoral system has always been between the polling unit and the collation centre.
“The people have witnessed a situation where a different result will be declared at the collation centre, different from what happened at the polling unit,” he said.
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GOVERNOR FUBARA APPOINTS COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR KEN SARO-WIWA POLYTECHNIC BORI
