WASHINGTON, Feb 20 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump seemingly flagged a disappointing end-of-year reading ⁠on ⁠U.S. economic growth before it was made public, ⁠criticizing the role Democrats played in an extended government shutdown last fall that pulled down the economy’s headline ​output numbers. “The Democrat Shutdown cost the U.S.A. at least two points in GDP. That’s why they are doing it, in mini form, again. No Shutdowns! Also, LOWER INTEREST ‌RATES. “Two Late” Powell is the WORST!!! President DJT,” ‌Trump said on social media more than half an hour before the release of new government data that showed the economy grew at just a 1.4% ⁠annual rate over ⁠the final three months of the year, with the 43-day federal shutdown from October 1, 2025, ​to November 12, 2025 lowering that by an estimated 1.15 percentage points. The president receives some economic data in advance, but elected officials have by tradition withheld comment until those reports are made public, often at 8:30 a.m. His call for lower interest rates has become a common refrain, with the …