New York (CNN Business) The US economy got off to a rough start this month, with various data pointing at a slowdown. Now economists are saying this trend will only get worse.

The National Association for Business Economics said in a survey released Monday that US GDP growth next year will drop below 2% for the first time since 2016. In the previous survey, the consensus expectation for next year was 2.1% — now it has dropped to 1.8%.

President Donald Trump promised as much as 4% GDP growth earlier in his presidency, which the economy achieved in the second quarter of 2018. For the year, however, the economy grew by a more modest 2.8%.

Although the 54 economists surveyed by NABE don't yet expect a recession, the dour forecast is the latest example that a slowdown is no longer merely an expectation. It's here now, and it's likely to stay.

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