To the great disappointment of Trump haters, many Europeans, and too many others of that ilk not worth contaminating this site by mentioning their names, the nonpartisan and factual Conference Board calmly announced early this morning: US Consumer Confidence Inched Up in July

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® improved by 2.0 points in July to 97.2 (1985=100), from 95.2 in June (revised up by 2.2 points). The Present Situation Index -- based on consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions -- fell 1.5 points to 131.5. The Expectations Index -- based on consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business, and labor market conditions -- rose 4.5 points to 74.4. But expectations remained below the threshold of 80 that typically signals a recession ahead for the sixth consecutive month. The cutoff date for preliminary results was July 20, 2025.

“Consumer confidence has stabilized since May, rebounding from April’s plunge, but remains below last year’s heady levels,” said Stephanie Guichard, Senior Economist, Global Indicators at the Conference Board. “In July, pessimism about the future receded somewhat, leading to a slight improvement in overall confidence. All three components of the Expectation Index improved, with consumers feeling less pessimistic about future business conditions and employment, and more optimistic about future income."

Oh.  

This optimistic news is not reflected in Trump's approval rating as Nate Silver reports:

Last week, Donald Trump’s net approval rating hit a new low. It reached -10.3 on Tuesday, compared to Trump’s previous second term low of -9.7 back in April. It’s rebounded slightly since that point. As of today, 44.6 percent of Americans approve of Trump and 52.6 percent disapprove. That’s a net approval rating of -8.0.

Meanwhile, as of this minute (noon EDT) -- and, remember,  things can easily change – the U.S. stock market today dances near record heights: S&P 500 flirts with all-time high, Nasdaq soars on tech euphoria, Dow holds steady as Fed decision looms

So hang in there. Hopefully, more good news for the USA is to come. To the disappointment of the Trump naysayers.

(Granted, occasionally I'm wrong. A few -- okay, that's relative -- years ago, when I was 21, I thought my beauty and health would endure forever. I'm now… well, over...uh, 30...and somewhat wiser.  Have more depth. But my faith in the USA has been proven right again and again.)

Image: Gage Skidmore