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I was talking to a Trump supporter who claimed that Trump is politically and economically competent, pointing to this article showing how Trump has caused the GDP to reach a record high level (or, at least, this direct causation is being implied).

Which policies has Trump enacted that has caused this growth or which is otherwise considered economy-boosting?

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    sigh Most Presidential impact on economy (leaving aside that many economists consider the impact typically negligible) is lagging - meaning it's too early to ask. And almost any economis would tell you that the causation is nearly impossible to prove in the first place - not like you have a control USA with Clinton who won the election.
    – user4012
    Jul 30, 2017 at 3:46
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    The question is intrinsically cherry-picking. If you only look for what might be positive, you give the mistaken impression that something is positive. You have to look at negatives, as well, and take them together. Further, as user4012 says, it is generally understood that there is approximately a two year time-lag on the Presidential impact on economy, if there's any at all. What you are seeing is essentially attributable to Obama (or neither). It won't be until 2019 that you might reasonably claim to be seeing Trump's effect rather than Obama's, if there is any of either. Jul 30, 2017 at 13:54

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The primary pro-growth policies that Donald Trump has already implemented have related to regulation.

He issued an executive order that requires that regulatory agencies eliminate one regulation for each one that they add. It's unclear if any regulations have been eliminated under this, but it is already delaying new regulations.

Trump has signed fourteen Congressional Review Act resolutions. These reversed rules issued late in the Barack Obama administration. They also have the effect of blocking future rule changes in the same area.

In general, Trump has appointed people who favor growth over other potential priorities. For example, Ben Carson believes that it is more important to break the cycle of poverty than to subsidize needs (housing, etc.). Scott Pruitt was known for fighting regulations before joining the Trump administration, and opponents say that he has had some success at rolling back regulations since.

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    Administration is eliminating regulations at a rate of 16 to one, though it can't be definitively stated yet that this is increasing GDP. Reference: washingtonexaminer.com/… Jul 29, 2017 at 22:58

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