() President Trump’s claims that the U.S. is entering a “golden age,” ushered in by his administration’s policies, is absurd, progressive journalist Mehdi Hasan says.

Trump on Thursday reiterated his claims of an impending renaissance as he addressed University of Alabama students: “You’re the first graduating class of the golden age of America,” the president told graduates.

Hasan, founder of the media company Zeteo, pushed back.

“You talk about a golden age of America? On the 101^st day of Trump’s presidency, we had the first negative quarter of growth since the start of 2022,” Hasan told “On Balance” on Thursday. “A majority of Americans, including a majority of Republicans, believe we’re going to have a recession this year, as a result of Trump’s policies.”

Trump has been touting what he calls the accomplishments of his first 100 days in office, including steep tariffs on China that are designed to reshore jobs to the U.S.

Hasan countered that the tariffs have weakened the economy. He said many Americans are disheartened, too, after his administration mistakenly deported a Salvadoran national to a supermax prison in his home country.

White House officials insist the man is a member of the notorious gang MS-13.