Donald Trump’s chaotic agenda is inciting an “economic storm” as consumer confidence tanks, small businesses lose jobs, and Americans brace for a “serious Trump recession.” While Trump doubles down on his price-raising national tax agenda, U.S. employers cut more jobs last month “than any February since 2009.” 

Here’s a look at the growing fears surrounding Trump’s reckless economic agenda:

New York Times: “President Trump inherited an economy that was, by most conventional measures, firing on all cylinders. Wages, consumer spending and corporate profits were rising. Unemployment was low. The inflation rate, though higher than normal, was falling.

“Just weeks into Mr. Trump’s term, the outlook is gloomier. Measures of business and consumer confidence have plunged. The stock market has been on a roller-coaster ride. Layoffs are picking up, according to some data. And forecasters are cutting their estimates for economic growth this year, with some even predicting that the U.S. gross domestic product could shrink in the first quarter. …

“[T]he sudden deterioration in the outlook is striking, especially because it is almost entirely a result of Mr. Trump’s policies and the resulting uncertainty. …

“So far, however, the Trump administration’s approach to economic policy has been characterized more by chaos — tariffs that are announced and then delayed, government workers who are fired and rehired — than by careful planning.”

Washington Post: “A Trump recession has become a real possibility”

“Americans are growing fearful of a recession. It’s not here yet, but President Donald Trump is steering the country toward a downturn with his tariffs and cuts to spending and the federal workforce — for no logical reason. …

“Even economist Ed Yardeni, one of the most optimistic forecasters, said in a note that he is ‘raising the odds of a tariff-induced recession from 20 percent to 35 percent.’

“Almost every economist I talk with uses words such as ‘uncertain,’ ‘jitters’ and ‘shaky’ to describe the situation.”

CNN: “US employers cut more jobs last month than any February since 2009”

“The Trump administration’s massive federal cuts and swelling feelings of economic uncertainty helped fuel a recession-level spike in layoff plans last month, new data showed Thursday.

“US-based employers last month announced plans to slash 172,017 jobs, a 103% increase from a year ago and the highest February total since 2009, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas’s latest monthly job cuts report released Thursday.”

CNN: “American businesses are getting nervous about hiring more workers”

“The Trump administration’s frenetic policy changes appear to be making US businesses think twice about hiring new workers.

“New data released Wednesday showed that hiring by US private-sector companies fell sharply last month, much more than economists had expected.”