ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

U.S. economic performance under Democratic and Republican presidents

The U.S. government has had presidents from both the Democratic and Republican parties. When people talk about economic performance under these different presidents, they mean how well the economy is doing while they are in office.

When a president is in charge, the economy typically grows slowly, meaning it produces more goods and services and the people of the country have more money to spend. The economy can also shrink, meaning there is less money and less goods and services being made.

In general, the economy does better under Democratic presidents than under Republican presidents. Democratic presidents usually focus on government spending and taxes that help the middle and working class. Republican presidents usually focus on cutting back government spending and taxes, which can help businesses but can also leave many people without jobs.

So, when you look at U.S. economic performance under Democratic and Republican presidents, you’ll usually see that the economy does better under Democratic presidents than under Republican presidents.