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Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy. We need your help. More Info ### I would like to contribute One Time Monthly Yearly Join Now ![](\\" ![](\\" Newt Gingrich stated on July 23, 2017 in an interview on Fox News: In economic growth, \"Obama\'s best year was slower than Bill Clinton\'s worst year.\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" mostly-true/4ac7c61540eff5211f6a04d98a6bc93a.jpg.\\") ![\\"mostly- true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") * Georgia * Economy * Newt Gingrich ![\\"Louis](\\" By Louis Jacobson July 27, 2017 # Was Barack Obama\'s best economic year worse than Bill Clinton\'s weakest? How bad was the economy under President Barack Obama? Pretty bad, argues former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga. In economic growth, \"Obama\'s best year was slower than Bill Clinton\'s worst year,\" Gingrich told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo on July 23, 2017. \"That\'s astonishing.\" We’ve previously looked at why it’s so hard these days for the United States to sustain 3 percent annual economic growth — a benchmark President Donald Trump says the country can again reach with his leadership. But we wondered whether the difference in economic performance under the two most recent Democratic presidents was so stark. We found that Gingrich’s talking point is correct, though he leaves out some important context. Annual economic growth is typically measured by the change, up or down, in gross domestic product from year to year, after adjusting for inflation. This data is collected by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, a federal office. As it turns out, Clinton had two years tied for last place -- 1993 and 1995. In both years, GDP grew by 2.7 percent. As for Obama, his best annual showing came in 2015, with 2.6 percent. In the following chart, the worst Clinton years and the best Obama year are marked in blue. So by the primary measure, Gingrich’s statement is correct. #### Featured Fact-check ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on September 4, 2024 in an Instagram post An image shows the social media profile of the accused suspect in the Apalachee High School shooting. ![\\"true\\"](\\" false/33efdb6633e5e2fdc2d4e2f63383a1e0.jpg.\\") ![\\"false\\"](\\" false.jpg\\") By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 5, 2024 However, it’s worth noting that a related statistic shows the record on Obama’s watch in a somewhat more favorable light. Gary Burtless, an economist at the Brookings Institution, said that GDP growth depends on two major factors -- how productive workers are, and how many workers there are. And Clinton was blessed with a worker population that was growing much faster than it later would under Obama. When Clinton was president, Burtless said, the population between the ages of 15 and 64 increased by 1.2 percent a year. Under Obama, the increase was just 0.6 percent. \"So it seems to me a bit absurd to compare overall GDP growth in the two administrations without somehow accounting for the different rates of growth in the population,\" Burtless said. It’s possible to use a variant on our previous metric — GDP growth per capita — that lessens this problem. Here’s what that measurement looks like: Using this measurement, Obama exceeded Clinton’s worst annual performance during four years (2010, 2012, 2014, 2015). In other words, while Clinton still did better overall when population growth is taken into account, the Obama administration had a better experience using this metric than is implied by Gingrich\'s statement, Burtless said. Gingrich’s office did not reply to an inquiry. Our ruling Gingrich said that in economic growth, \"Obama\'s best year was slower than Bill Clinton\'s worst year.\" Measured by the annual change in inflation-adjusted GDP -- the typical measurement -- Gingrich is correct. But it’s worth noting that if you strip out the impact of population growth, the Clinton-Obama comparison is more mixed. We rate the statement Mostly True. Share the Facts 2017-07-27 21:06:23 UTC PolitiFact ![\\"PolitiFact\\"](\\" logo-big.jpg\\"/) 5 1 7 ![\\"PolitiFact](\\" mostlytrue.jpg\\") PolitiFact Rating: Mostly True In economic growth, \"Obama\'s best year was slower than Bill Clinton\'s worst year.\" Newt Gingrich Former House Speaker, R-Ga. ![](\\" an interview on Fox News Sunday, July 23, 2017 2017-07-23 Read More info #### Read About Our Process The Principles of the Truth-O-Meter ### Our Sources Newt Gingrich, remarks on Fox News, July 23, 2017 Bureau of Economic Analysis, interactive data tables, accessed July 23, 2017 Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, real gross domestic product per capita, accessed July 23, 2017 PolitiFact, \"Why economists are skeptical that U.S. can grow by 3 percent,\" May 26, 2017 Email interview with Gary Burtless, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, July 23, 2017 ## Browse the Truth-O-Meter ### More by Louis Jacobson slide 4 to 6 of 15 ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on August 23, 2024 in a campaign event in Glendale, Ariz.: “There’s been a 43% increase in violent crimes since I left office.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Louis Jacobson • September 4, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Kamala Harris stated on August 22, 2024 in her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention: Former President Donald Trump \"intends to enact what, in effect, is a national sales tax ... that would raise prices on middle-class families by almost $4,000 a year.\" ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Louis Jacobson • August 30, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" JD Vance stated on August 25, 2024 in an interview on NBC\'s \"Meet the Press\": “Anything that you lose on the tariff from the perspective of the consumer, you gain in higher wages, so you\'re ultimately much better off.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Louis Jacobson • August 29, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Kamala Harris stated on September 25, 2024 in an interview with MSNBC: “Even before the pandemic, (Donald Trump) lost manufacturing jobs, by most people’s estimates at least 200,000.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Louis Jacobson • September 26, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Tim Sheehy stated on September 10, 2024 in an op-ed: Jon Tester “supported slashing Social Security benefits” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Louis Jacobson • September 25, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Tim Walz stated on September 21, 2024 in in Bethlehem, Pa.: “Donald Trump added more to the national debt than any other president, ever.” ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Louis Jacobson • September 25, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Senate Leadership Fund stated on September 17, 2024 in a TV ad: “Two years ago, Bob Casey promised us his vote will reduce inflation. ... 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In economic growth Obama's best year was slower than Bill Clinton's worst year