Trump is toast if the economy sinks -- and his 2020 slogan will have to be 'Sustain the Pain': NYT reporter

New York Times reporter Jonathan Martin appeared on John King's CNN show Wednesday to inform viewers that President Donald Trump simply cannot sustain an economic recession if he hopes to win reelection next year.

With recession warning signs flashing, the president has once again put public pressure on the Federal Reserve to slash interest rates and pump more money into the economy ahead of the 2020 election campaign.

As Martin explained, a souring economy would give Trump almost nothing to campaign on next year.

"'Sustain the Pain,' in my experience covering politics, is not a good bumper sticker slogan," he joked. "'Sustain the Pain -- Reelect Trump' I don't think will be very effective."

Earlier in the panel, CNN's Phil Mattingly argued that Trump's latest attacks on the Federal Reserve were a desperate plea to help him undo the damage that he did by setting off a trade war with China.

"The tweet is essentially saying, 'I would like the Fed to stop me from punching myself, or at least keep me from being... injured by me punching myself," he explained.

Watch the video below.