The President does not have a "economic depression on/off" switch.

The Great Depression started only a few months into Hoover's term. There's a lot of opinions on what exactly created the crash but the general TLDR is it was multiple long standing factors finally coming to a head; what factors had what weight is up to economists to argue. That aside, a crash like that is not the kind of thing that can easily or quickly be undone.

Under Hoover, the Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act was passed (as we all learned from Ferris Bueller's Day Off) and it was a mistake. It was however an attempt to solve the Depression, if you're looking for an example of a political attempt to fix things.

Hoover lost to FDR, but it's not like FDR instantly undid the Depression. There were numerous ups and downs under FDR, critically with unemployment remaining high until 1939. The Depression ended in 1939 when WW2 breaking out in Europe created a demand for American manufacturing, which is external global events creating an external demand.

More that the whole world was in a depression, so he probably genuinely thought he was doing his best.

His best was predicated on absolutely dogshit ideas, mind you, but those were pretty commonplace dogshit ideas at the time. It probably wasn't that he didn't care.

I'll always hate him for betraying Black voters he promised to support in '28, though. Fuck him, no amount of commonplace free-market delusions can justify that.

The disgusting conservative ideology does not allow you to help people in need. You are at the mercy of the “Market”.

The President does not have a "economic depression on/off" switch.

I think in both your examples and ehm ... recent events suggest a president absolutely can drive an economic 'downturn.' Now technically - the president, with a motivated congress, can and have pulled the reverse uno on such events. The sticky bit is it requires both foresight , intelligence (the real kind), and a willing resolve to do things which result in a greater good - even if those choices are unpopular.

I will agree that, as you noted, such changes are not immediate. Economics in general moves slowly - and for good reason.

With that said: the new deal and related moves absolutely were the bedrock that the following "rise of capitalism's golden period“ was built upon. A bit of irony in that statement... but regardless - that upturn was the result of a strong guiding hand from the administration.

Banger response btw. That was a pleasure to read.