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CNBC’s Rick Santelli Visibly Stunned When Announcing Higher-Than-Expected GDP Growth

Screenshot/Rumble/CNBC

CNBC’s Rick Santelli appeared surprised Tuesday when he read the latest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) numbers live during “Squawk Box.”

GDP grew by 4.3% in the third quarter of 2025, according to a Tuesday release by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Santelli noted that the figure came in well above expectations.

“Third quarter numbers, we’re looking for 3.3…. Zoom, zoom, zoom! 4.3%, 4.3%. That is a nice jump and I know many may question data gathering, but on the surface, this would be the strongest quarter going back to the third quarter of 2023, when it was 4.7,” Santelli said. “This is strong. 3.5 on consumption blows away the 2.7 we were expecting. That would be the best since the last quarter of ‘24.”

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President Donald Trump touted his economic policies in a Wednesday White House speech, while a fact sheet released by the White House noted lower prices for fresh fruit, butter, ice cream, shampoo and toilet paper. However, Trump’s approval on the economy is down to 40.6% while his disapproval is up to 55.%%, according to the RealClearPolling.

Democrats swept high-profile November elections in Virginia, New Jersey and New York City, by focusing on the issue of “affordability.”

The White House has touted declining gas prices as well, noting that over three dozen states have an average price of less than $3 a gallon, with at least 20 posting an average of less than $2.75 a gallon, according to Gas Buddy.

“Better GDP is always good,” Santelli said after running through other economic numbers. “We’ll let the experts pick apart the data gathering and all the issues. Over time, that should smooth out. But as I said, on the surface, powerful number.”