R.I.P. Trump’s promise to grow the economy by 4% a year

He said it, repeatedly, with brio.

He, Donald J. Trump,  would personally return rates of American economic growth to 4 percent a year. Don’t worry about the details! It’s gonna happen! No problem! People who say it can’t happen? Losers! Weak! Not strong! Sad!

“But we’re bringing it from 1 percent up to 4 percent. And I actually think we can go higher than 4 percent. I think you can go to 5 percent or 6 percent,” he said in an October debate against Hillary Clinton.

Later that month at a speech in North Carolina, the then-candidate continued his pledge: “I’m going to get us to 4 percent growth and create 25 million jobs over a 10-year period.”