Cedar

Careful who you follow. Elon’s baby momma explains how MAGA paid influence campaigns work. @stclairashley

BREAKING: U.S. Consumer Sentiment Collapses to Near-Record Lows as Trump Economy Shows Strain WASHINGTON, D.C. — April 2026 U.S. consumer sentiment has plunged to levels not seen in decades, delivering a stark warning about the direction of the economy under Donald Trump. The University of Michigan’s preliminary April reading dropped to roughly 47–48, an 11% collapse in just one month and far below the long-term average in the high 70s.[1][2] The drop reflects rising anxiety over inflation, interest rates, and growing economic and geopolitical instability.[3][4] This isn’t noise. Historically, sharp declines in consumer sentiment have clustered around recessions, signaling stress that often shows up later in weaker spending and slowing growth.[5][6] Even where the link to actual consumption is imperfect, one thing is clear: when confidence breaks this hard, something underneath is going wrong. After months of economic volatility, Americans aren’t buying the “strong economy” narrative. They’re bracing. The Receipts [1] Trading Economics. (2026). "US Consumer Sentiment Collapses to Record Low." tradingeconomics.com/united-states/… [2] Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED). (2026). "University of Michigan: Consumer Sentiment (UMCSENT)." fred.stlouisfed.org/series/UMCSENT [3] Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED). (2026). "UMCSENT Data Table." fred.stlouisfed.org/data/umcsent [4] University of Michigan. (2026). "Surveys of Consumers." sca.isr.umich.edu [5] Federal Reserve. (2025). "Tracking Consumer Sentiment Versus How Consumers Are Doing Based on Verified Retail Purchases." federalreserve.gov/econres/notes/… [6] Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. (2025). "Forecasting with Feelings: The Modest Link Between Consumer Sentiment and Spending." kansascityfed.org/research/econo…