A new claim from the Trump administration about the job market is facing sharp criticism from an economic analyst, who says the numbers tell a very different story.
MS NOW analyst Steve Benen said the White House’s description of the latest jobs report as “strong” shows a basic misunderstanding of the data.
Leavitt Calls Jobs Report “Strong”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt released a statement praising the latest jobs numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“The strong jobs report shows how President Trump is fixing the damage caused by Joe Biden and creating a strong, America First economy in record time,” Leavitt said.
Benen said that claim stood out, especially given other recent false statements from Leavitt, including claims about gas prices and political slogans.
What the Jobs Data Actually Shows
According to Benen, the latest jobs report was not strong at all.
The U.S. unemployment rate has climbed to its highest level in more than four years. At the same time, job growth has slowed significantly and is now at levels Benen described as extremely weak.
He pointed out that recent months have even seen job losses. The economy lost jobs in June, August, and October.
The last time the U.S. saw job losses in three out of six months was during the slow recovery from the Great Recession in late 2009 and early 2010.
Comparing Biden and Trump Job Growth
Benen also compared job growth under Biden and Trump.
During Biden’s presidency, job growth remained strong for most of his term. Since Trump returned to office in January 2025, growth has dropped sharply back into low-growth territory.
Since taking office, Trump’s economy has averaged about 17,000 jobs added per month. By comparison, last year the job market averaged nearly 168,000 new jobs per month, a period Trump previously called an economic disaster.
Tariffs and Slowing Growth
Benen noted that after Trump announced new trade tariffs in April, job creation slowed further.
Since Trump entered office, the economy has added an average of 119,000 jobs per month. That is far below recent historical standards and well below the pace seen before Trump returned to power.
Analyst Says White House Is Out of Touch
Benen warned that the U.S. is on track for the worst year of job creation since the Great Recession, excluding the massive losses seen during the pandemic.
“If the president’s team looked at this data and saw a strong jobs report, that might explain why Trump is struggling,” Benen said. “The White House does not seem to know what success actually looks like.”
Read the MS NOW report at this link.
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