Did the Fed accidentally help Trump win in 2016?

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President Trump.
(Image credit: Illustrated | jjgervasi/iStock, Spencer Platt/Getty Images, Tatomm_iStock)

Did the Federal Reserve inadvertently help President Trump win in 2016?

There's a huge array of factors that go into determining why Americans pick the presidents they do. But research suggests the economy may be as much as half the mix. And it generally looks like the trend in the year running up to the election is overwhelmingly important: an improving economy favors the incumbent party; a falling one favors the opposition.

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Jeff Spross

Jeff Spross was the economics and business correspondent at TheWeek.com. He was previously a reporter at ThinkProgress.