Anyone who owns stocks or mutual funds benefits, not just the corporations.
The Stock Market is usually a good indicator of the relative strength & health of the economy (Though not always. While it boomed under Obama, the general economy was anemic as it had that much more of a climb out of the depths of the Great Recession). While it's significance as a reflection is overhyped, people do react to it. Stocks and commodities bubbles pop and there's a massive and sustained sell off, people follow by selling off real estate and spending less, and the economy contracts. 70% of the economy is consumer driven, so once that cycle begins, recession we shall go.
Trump hasn't done crap for the economy. Gary Busey's pet Beagle on ludes could have been President and we'd pretty much be were we're at, minus the booming budget deficits and growing trade imbalances.
Economic stats are stats. They can't be manipulated, just the propaganda surrounding them is.
The only person who has any real sort of direct-ish effect on the economy to some degree is the Chair of the Federal Reserve. By raising or lowering interest rates and thus effecting levels of borrowing and this spending, the economy can get a boost or cooled as needed.
That being said, Trump's massive tax cut for the rich with no way to cover the gaping $1.3 trillion hole it will leave plus increased wasteful spending adding another couple of trillions to the deficit plus his counterproductive trade war is addition the general malaise felt by other countries towards the US are goung to have negative impacts in the future. Since 2017, EU countries, which combined were the biggest foreign buyers of Treasury Bills have been selling more than they buy. Should the economy take a dip (which it will by next year), the dollar might not recover to present levels, and out economy will suffer. No one is going to want to invest in this sinking ship.
