MAGA influencer Dave Rubin, Image via Screengrab.
On Sunday, while appearing on the online debate show Surrounded, MAGA influencer Dave Rubin was asked to name a single way the economy has improved under President Donald Trump. His answer — or lack thereof — was “embarrassing,” said commentators. After some fluster, Rubin was unable to name a single economic upside to Trump’s presidency.
Surrounded is a popular series from Jubilee Media in which a guest faces off against a circle of those holding opposing views to debate hot-button political issues at a rapid-fire pace. According to the Independent, “Halfway through Sunday’s encounter, liberal social media personality Parker Sedgwick stepped up to ask Rubin simply: ‘What is one main metric that Donald Trump has made better off since he got into office? An example would be GDP, unemployment, inflation, et cetera.'”
“Right now… first off, the Big Beautiful Bill was just passed last year, it’s kicking in now, right?” Rubin responded. “It’s kicking in now, so we are see... we’re going to now see results of that. Like… even the tariffs, so let’s do tariffs – are you for or against tariffs?”
“I’m against the universal tariffs,” Sedgwick said. “So what’s the main metric that he made better off?”
“What?” Rubin said as the room erupted with laughter, the audience having “recognized the stalling tactic.”
“What’s the main metric that he made better off, any idea?” Sedgwick pushed.
“Listen…” Rubin started but trailed off, drawing more laughs.
“I don’t think you do,” his inquisitor ventured.
“Hold on,” Rubin said. “So you’re arguing that things economically were better under Joe Biden… Can you give me an example of how?”
“Yeah,” Sedgwick said. “GDP growth was better off, real median wage growth was better off, inflation was better off at the end of his administration, unemployment was better off at the end of his administration.” He went on to explain that during the second Trump administration, on the other hand, “We had the worst year of job growth this last year under Trump’s administration. Inflation was 3.8 percent year-over-year since Trump got in office. We’re seeing all of those economic indicators become worse off. Can you tell me anything he’s done to make it better off?”
“Have you looked at the stock market?” Rubin offered, but Sedgwick noted that both the Dow Jones and S&P 500 saw less growth in 2025 than they did the previous year — under Biden.
Those watching tore Rubin’s performance apart.
“Why did Dave Rubin even choose to do this?” posted progressive influencer Hasan Piker. “He would’ve lost the debate to an empty chair. Truly the dumbest the right has to offer.”
Former MSNOW host and previous Surrounded guest Mehdi Hasan declared, “I have watched a lot of Jubilees and I have never seen anyone get their a-- handed to them this badly. Just embarrassing.”
“This is just about every MAGA talking head in media,” blasted podcaster Brian Shapiro. “Dave is a complete imbecile. This was embarrassing.”
According to the Independent, “Rubin is not alone in struggling to find the positives in Trump’s second term. The president continues to poll poorly, with a Politico survey published on Friday revealing that a majority of Americans say the ongoing cost of living crisis is the worst they can remember. Even more of a concern for Trump, 46 percent of respondents said they held him fully or mostly responsible for the state of the economy.”