Good Economic Data and Bad Economic Feelings

The Journal co-hosts Kate Linebaugh and Ryan Knutson tackle the gap between bright data points and bad vibes with political correspondent Molly Ball.

Data suggests the U.S. economy is performing well, but many Americans don’t feel that way. How will those feelings influence the 2024 election? 

As part of the Cascade PBS Ideas Festival in early May, Kate Linebaugh and Ryan Knutson, co-hosts of the podcast The Journal, took the stage with Wall Street Journal senior political correspondent Molly Ball to dig into this strange economic picture and its political implications.  

In this episode of the Cascade PBS Ideas Festival podcast, Linebaugh, Knutson and Ball note how economic performance can swing elections, even when that performance is due to factors outside of elected officials’ control. They examine the unique drivers of the current economic picture, from pandemic recovery to inflation. They also debate the ways the economy might impact the Biden/Trump rematch, especially compared to other key issues, such as foreign policy, reproductive rights or political polarization.   

This conversation was recorded on May 4, 2024.  

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Credits

Host: Paris Jackson

Producer: Isaac Kaplan-Woolner

Event producers: Jake Newman, Anne O'Dowd

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