United States President, Donald Trump has acknowledged that he bears full responsibility for the state of the country’s economy, while also placing blame on his predecessor, Joe Biden, for what he described as inherited challenges.

In an interview aired Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press, Trump said, “Ultimately, I take responsibility for everything.”

However, he added, “But I’ve only just been here for a little more than three months.”

Trump maintained that the positive trends in the economy are the result of his leadership, while ongoing difficulties stem from the previous administration.

“I think the good parts are the Trump economy and the bad parts are the Biden economy because he’s done a terrible job,” he said.

Despite public concerns over inflation and economic uncertainty, official data show some stability: unemployment stood at 4.2 percent last month, and inflation was 2.3 percent in March, slightly above the Federal Reserve’s target.

Still, economic forecasts have dimmed, with the Fed and other analysts warning of slowing growth and rising joblessness.

Trump was asked whether a recession could be on the horizon.

“Anything can happen,” he responded. “This is a transition period,” he said, while expressing confidence in an eventual turnaround: “We’re going to do fantastically,” he claimed, predicting “the greatest economic boom in history.”

On trade, Trump defended his aggressive stance toward China, including the imposition of steep 145 percent tariffs.

“We’ve essentially cut off trade relationships by putting that much of a tariff on,” he said. But he downplayed concerns over the impact, adding, “That’s okay… That means that we’re not losing.”

Trump insisted that Beijing is eager to resolve the standoff.

“The Chinese want to make a deal very badly,” he said, and hinted that tariffs might be reduced in the future.

He also reignited criticism of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, his own appointee from 2018,  urging the Fed to cut interest rates.

“He should lower interest rates. Now is the perfect time to do so,” Trump said.

With the Fed set to meet this week, most economists expect the central bank to maintain current interest rates, which have held steady between 4.25 and 4.50 percent since December.

Although Trump previously suggested removing Powell before his term expires, he told NBC he now plans to wait until Powell’s tenure ends in May 2026 before naming a replacement.

The World Bank has sounded the alarm over deepening poverty levels in Nigeria, revealing that 75.5 percent of people living in rural areas now fall below the poverty line.

This revelation is contained in the Bank’s April 2025 Poverty and Equity Brief for Nigeria, which paints a grim picture of rising economic inequality, stagnation, and worsening living conditions across the country.

While urban poverty stands at 41.3 percent, the situation in rural communities is significantly worse, driven by a toxic mix of economic stagnation, inflation, and insecurity.

According to the report, “Based on the most recent official household survey data from Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics, 30.9 per cent of Nigerians lived below the international extreme poverty line of $2.15 per person per day in 2018/19 before the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The World Bank also highlighted stark regional inequalities.

“Nigeria remains spatially unequal. The poverty rate in northern geopolitical zones was 46.5 per cent in 2018/19, compared with 13.5 per cent for southern ones.

Inequality measured by the Gini index was estimated at 35.1 in 2018/19,” the report stated.

The Prosperity Gap, which measures how far average incomes fall short of the ideal prosperity level of $25 per day, was pegged at 10.2 for Nigeria, a figure significantly higher than most of its economic peers.

The report further shows that children are disproportionately affected.

“Children aged 0 to 14 years had a poverty rate of 72.5 per cent,” the document revealed.

It also underscored gender-based disparities, noting that “63.9 per cent of females and 63.1 percent of males” live below the $3.65 per day lower-middle-income poverty line.

Education remains a key determinant of poverty. Nigerians with no formal schooling have the highest poverty rate at 79.5 percent.

Those with primary and secondary education fare slightly better, with poverty rates of 61.9 and 50 percent, respectively.

Only individuals with tertiary education show some level of resilience, with a 25.4 percent poverty rate.

The report also emphasized Nigeria’s multidimensional poverty challenge.

“About 30.9 per cent of Nigerians survive on less than $2.15 a day, 32.6 per cent do not have access to limited-standard drinking water, 45.1 per cent lack limited-standard sanitation, and 39.4 per cent have no access to electricity,” it noted.

Other indicators include education gaps: “17.6 per cent of adults have not completed primary education, and 9.0 per cent of households have at least one school-aged child who is not enrolled in school.”

While acknowledging economic reforms aimed at macroeconomic stability, the World Bank warned that high inflation remains a critical threat.

“Before COVID-19, extreme poverty reduction had almost stagnated, dropping by only half a percentage point annually since 2010. Living standards of the urban poor are hardly improving, and jobs that would allow households to escape poverty are lacking,” the report said.

It called for urgent interventions to shield vulnerable groups from inflation and to boost employment through higher-value economic activities.

U.S. President, Donald Trump is facing mounting criticism after sharing an AI-generated image of himself dressed as the pope, just days before the conclave to elect a new leader of the Catholic Church following the death of Pope Francis.

The digitally created image, posted on Trump’s Truth Social platform on Friday, shows the president in full papal attire, white robes, a gold crucifix, and the traditional miter, raising his finger toward the sky in a mock-papal gesture.

The post comes on the heels of Trump’s comment earlier in the week that he would like to become the next pope.

“I’d like to be pope, that would be my number one choice,” Trump told reporters, though he admitted he had no clear preference on who should succeed Francis.

He did mention a “very good” cardinal in New York, widely interpreted as a reference to Cardinal Timothy Dolan, known for his conservative views and opposition to abortion.

The New York State Catholic Conference swiftly condemned the president’s post, calling it insensitive and inappropriate in the wake of Pope Francis’ passing on April 21.

“There is nothing clever or funny about this image, Mr. President,” the Conference said in a statement on X.

“We just buried our beloved Pope Francis, and the cardinals are about to enter a solemn conclave to elect a new successor of St. Peter. Do not mock us.”

The criticism underscores broader concerns about the timing and tone of Trump’s message, especially as Catholics around the world mourn Pope Francis, a figure known for his outspoken criticism of Trump’s policies, particularly on immigration.

Pope Francis once said, “Anyone, whoever he is, who only wants to build walls and not bridges is not a Christian,” in response to Trump’s 2016 campaign promise to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Despite the controversy, Trump’s appearance at the funeral of Pope Francis last week marked his first international trip since reclaiming the presidency.

With approximately 20 percent of Americans identifying as Catholic, and a reported 60 percent of them voting for Trump in the last election, the incident may have wider implications as the global Church prepares for a significant transition.

The conclave to elect the next pope is scheduled to begin on May 7 in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel.