MSNBC’s Ali Velshi bashed journalists a second week in a row, this time for not taking “45 seconds” to determine that the positive GDP news this week was nothing to be excited about because, he said, the GDP is just the result of “math” and “how GDP is calculated.”

On Saturday’s Velshi from MSNBC, the host brought up the new Gross Domestic Product (GDP) numbers released by the Commerce Department which showed a large 3% growth in the second quarter under President Donald Trump.

Velshi was not wowed by the increase, but expressed his contempt for the fact that other journalists seemed to be.

“Now, lots and lots of journalists jumped on that exciting top line number, one that seems far more impressive than the first quarter’s GDP increase, which was just half of a percent,” he said. “But if some of those journalists had taken about 45 seconds to look under that shiny hood, they’d have found a far less impressive rebound than it initially seemed.”

Velshi claimed that the positive growth isn’t really of consequence, arguing the “upward swing” was simply the result of higher imports than exports in the first quarter, and imports dropping sharply compared to exports, creating a “smaller resulting trade deficit.”

Although that sounds like precisely the intent of Trump’s policies and his predicted outcome, and runs counter to the widespread opposition prediction that there would be economic collapse, Velshi said that those details undermine the positive reactions to the positive grown in the GDP.

“That’s not so much evidence of economic prosperity as it is the result of a math equation and how GDP is calculated,” he said, rather obviously observing that the math which determines the number is math.

He hit journalist’s and media one more time, saying, “Again, something that economics journalists should know.”

Last week, Velshi “apologized” on behalf of journalism over Trump being asked about golf during a presser at Trump’s golf course.

VELSHI: Plus, on Wednesday, the Commerce Department said that Gross Domestic Product, GDP, which is the largest measure of economic activity we have, increased at a 3% annual rate in the second quarter, the second three months of this year.

Now, lots and lots of journalists jumped on that exciting top line number, one that seems far more impressive than the first quarter’s GDP increase, which was just half of a percent. But if some of those journalists had taken about 45 seconds to look under that shiny hood, they’d have found a far less impressive rebound than it initially seemed.

Here’s why: that upward swing in GDP growth came from a massive and fully expected decline in imports! After a massive and fully-expected increase in imports in the first quarter, in anticipation of tariffs. So lots of money left our economy to bring goods in before the first tariff deadlines in April, and when imports sharply dropped, the smaller resulting trade deficit boosted the GDP growth figure.

That’s not so much evidence of economic prosperity as it is the result of a math equation and how GDP is calculated. Again, something that economics journalists should know.

Watch the clip above via MSNBC.

The post Velshi Slams Journos ‘Jumping’ on ‘Unimpressive’ Trump GDP Growth: It’s Just a Shiny ‘Math Equation’ first appeared on Mediaite.

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