US GDP growth slows to 1.4% in Q4, misses estimates; Donald Trump blames government shutdown

US economic growth slowed more than expected in the final quarter of 2025, official data showed on Friday, marking a softer end to the first year of Donald Trump’s return to the presidency.The world’s largest economy expanded at an annualised rate of 1.4 per cent in the October–December period, according to estimates released by the US Department of Commerce, reported.The figure fell well short of analysts’ expectations of a 2.5 per cent growth pace for the quarter. For the full year, US GDP growth stood at 2.2 per cent in 2025.Trump blamed the slowdown on last year’s prolonged government shutdown, placing responsibility on Democratic lawmakers in a Truth Social post issued shortly before the data release.“The Democrat Shutdown cost the U.S.A. at least two points in GDP,” Trump wrote.Analysts, however, generally expect the economic impact of the shutdown — which lasted from October to mid-November –to be temporary.The Commerce Department said slower fourth-quarter growth “reflected downturns in government spending and exports and a deceleration in consumer spending.”The weakness was partly offset by a pick-up in investment activity, the report added.