news

Biden-Harris Job Data? More Like, 'Pants on Fire, Joe!'

Libs claim job numbers aren't fudged? Yeah, and I've got oceanfront property in Arizona to sell ya!

Published August 26, 2024 at 5:06am by

Donald Trump

Statement: “The Harris-Biden Administration has been caught fraudulently manipulating Job Statistics.”

In a true "oops" moment, the job numbers—the only bright spot in Biden's inflation-stricken economy—got a reality check. Just in time for the Democrats' Chicago convention, the Bureau of Labor Statistics downgraded last year's job gains by a whopping 818,000.

Trump took the ball and ran with it, playing offense against the Harris-Biden duo. At an Aug. 22 event in Arizona, he didn't mince words:

"I want to address the fake job numbers the Harris-Biden administration has been reporting for the last year. … They claimed falsely that they created 818,000 jobs," Trump roared.

But Trump went full Trump on Truth Social, declaring in an Aug. 21 post:

"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. New Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the Administration PADDED THE NUMBERS with an extra 818,000 Jobs that DO NOT EXIST, AND NEVER DID."

Turns out, the job numbers were readjusted, showing 818,000 fewer positions—halving the gains by half a percentage point. Economists, however, unanimously shot down Trump's "cooking the books" theory, calling it a routine, annual recalibration.

"There is zero validity to Trump’s claims," said Douglas Holtz-Eakin, president of the center-right American Action Forum. "This is a standard, regular revision to the jobs data."

What happened last week?

On Aug. 21, the Bureau of Labor Statistics dropped an annual "benchmarking" adjustment based on more accurate state-based unemployment insurance data. This adjustment revealed 818,000 fewer jobs in March than first reported—the biggest downward revision in 15 years.

When quizzed, Republican National Committee spokesperson Anna Kelly pinned the blame for the economic crisis on the Biden-Harris team.

But here's the deal: The Bureau of Labor Statistics, staffed by impartial civil servants, has been doing this for years without any credible accusations of political bias.

It’s not a "conspiracy," said Dean Baker, co-founder of the liberal Center for Economic and Policy Research. "This is all a completely standard process that happens every year."

Tara Sinclair, a George Washington University economist, noted similar revisions were made under Trump's watch in 2019.

PolitiFact's ruling

Trump’s claim that "The Harris-Biden Administration has been caught fraudulently manipulating Job Statistics" is as true as a unicorn sighting. Yes, the job numbers got a haircut, but there's zero evidence of political tampering. The process is as routine as brushing your teeth.

Trump’s assertion is false and ridiculous. We rate it Pants on Fire!

Our sources

Donald Trump, Truth Social post, Aug. 21, 2024
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, " CES Preliminary Benchmark Announcement," Aug. 21, 2024
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, "2019 CES Preliminary Benchmark Revision," accessed Aug. 21, 2024
Dean Baker, " Mixed Story: What the Revision to the Jobs Data Means," Aug. 21, 2024
Email interview with Douglas Holtz-Eakin, president of the American Action Forum, Aug. 22, 2024
Email interview with Tara Sinclair, George Washington University economist, Aug. 22, 2024
Email interview with Dean Baker, co-founder of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, Aug. 22, 2024
Email interview with Gary Burtless, senior fellow with the Brookings Institution, Aug. 22, 2024
Email interview with Anna Kelly, Republican National Committee spokesperson, Aug. 22, 2024