Trump claims expected jobs data correction is pro-Democrat conspiracy
Former President Trump incorrectly claimed Wednesday that a scheduled and widely expected revision to federal jobs data was a pro-Democrat conspiracy by the Biden administration.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released Wednesday an analysis showing the U.S. economy added 818,000 fewer jobs between March 2023 and March 2024 than initially reported.
The revision, the largest since 2009, knocked down last year’s job gains by 0.5 percent from what was originally reported. Revisions typically only increase or decrease from the previous year’s employment level by 0.1 percent.
The BLS data was largely in line with the expectations of economists, who projected the U.S. would lose up to 1 million jobs from previous totals. The agency recalculates the gain with new information acquired after the monthly jobs reports are released.
Even so, Trump claimed without evidence that the revision was proof of a conspiracy by President Biden and Vice President Harris to manipulate federal economic data.
“MASSIVE SCANDAL! The Harris-Biden Administration has been caught fraudulently manipulating Job Statistics to hide the true extent of the Economic Ruin they have inflicted upon America,” Trump posted to his Truth Social site.
Trump further alleged that the Biden administration “PADDED THE NUMBERS” with the jobs that “DO NOT EXIST, AND NEVER DID.”
The BLS is an agency within the Labor Department staffed by career civil servants. There is no evidence that the Biden administration or BLS employees who produced the report did anything unethical or illegal.
“I have consistently been surprised and impressed by [BLS’s] professionalism, non-partisanship, and transparency. It is a pretty unique gem that accomplishes a great deal with modest funding, and helps us all make better-informed decisions,” said Julia Pollak, chief economist at ZipRecruiter, in a post on the social platform X.
Pollak noted that her praise for BLS is significant because she is “deeply skeptical of government, is shocked at how rampant corruption is in the U.S., and is by no means naive about the political leanings of most DC residents or govt employees.”
Ernie Tedeschi, who served as Biden’s chief White House economist, also noted online that a downward revision happened during Trump’s time in office.
The revision Wednesday from BLS may fuel concerns that the Federal Reserve may be behind on cutting interest rates, which have remained at a 23-year high to rein in inflation.
“The real Numbers are much worse than that and, if Comrade Kamala gets another four years, millions more Jobs will VANISH overnight, and Inflation will completely destroy our Country,” Trump’s post said.
The BLS correction comes as Vice President Harris looks to tackle issues related to the economy after President Biden struggled to convince voters that his plan, nicknamed “Bidenomics,” was working.
“This preliminary estimate doesn’t change the fact that the jobs recovery has been and remains historically strong, delivering solid job and wage gains, strong consumer spending, and record small business creation,” said Jared Bernstein, chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA), in a statement.
Trump has consistently criticized Biden — and now Harris — for the economy and inflation, which peaked in June 2022 under their administration. Trump also predicted the U.S. economy and stock market would crash if Biden was elected in 2020 and has renewed that claim this year.
“YOUR LIVE SAVINGS WILL BE WIPED OUT,” he said. “With a TRUMP VICTORY, we will once again have the Greatest Economy in History.”
Updated at 3:06 p.m. E.T.
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