The chart below confirms what we had suspected about consumer confidence numbers. They really only reveal which political party you identify with.

Not only is the widely cited Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index reflecting a partisan gap in recent times, but that gap keeps widening. It was 27% during the second Bush and both Obama terms, then 54% across Trump’s first term, 72% during Biden’s four years, and now a gigantic 88% so far in Trump 2.0. Republicans are almost twice as likely to have confidence in the future right now.

The jury is still out as to whether this optimism is justified.