Just spent some time looking at how the economy actually performed under different presidents, and it's pretty interesting how the narrative doesn't always match the numbers.

Everyone talks about the economy like the president controls it, but honestly? The Federal Reserve probably has way more influence than most people realize. That said, it definitely affects how people vote — if things are going well, incumbents get reelected. If there's a recession, they're usually in trouble.

When you dig into the actual data though, it gets messy. Most presidents had some wins and some losses depending on which metric you look at. That's why comparing them across a graph of recessions and presidents tells such a complicated story.

Lyndon B. Johnson had solid fundamentals — lowest unemployment at 3.4%, best real income per capita on the list at $17,181. But inflation ran hot at 4.4%. Richard Nixon faced brutal inflation at 10.9% (second worst), though income per capita jumped to $19,621. Gerald Ford's short tenure was rough on unemployment at 7.5%, but he managed decent GDP growth at 2.8%.

Here's where it gets wild: Jimmy Carter had the highest GDP growth by far at 4.6% — more than 1% better than Biden's current numbers. But he also dealt with the worst inflation at 11.8%. Sometimes you get growth without stability, I guess.

Reagan kept things relatively balanced — unemployment at 5.4%, inflation at 4.7% (way better than Carter's era). George H.W. Bush had the worst poverty rate at 14.5% and barely any GDP growth at 0.7%. Clinton flipped that script completely with the lowest poverty rate at 11.3% and solid unemployment at 4.2%.

Then came the Great Recession. George W. Bush is the only president on this list with negative GDP growth at -1.2%, and unemployment spiked to 7.8%. But weirdly, he had zero inflation. Barack Obama inherited that mess and slowly climbed out — unemployment fell to 4.7%, though poverty stayed elevated at 14%.

Donald Trump's numbers looked pretty decent overall — inflation at just 1.4% (second lowest), poverty at 11.9%, and GDP growth at 2.6%. Unemployment was higher at 6.4%, but that's still middle of the pack.

Biden's situation is interesting because the pandemic created this inflationary spike at 5% — worst since Carter — but unemployment bounced back to 4.8% (fourth lowest historically) and GDP growth hit 3.2% (second highest). The graph of recessions and presidents shows these cycles are complex; sometimes good numbers come with tradeoffs.

The real takeaway? Economic performance under any president is messier than the talking points suggest. There are always winners and losers depending on which metrics matter to you.