Donald Trump's Basement Tantrum: "Harris-Biden Caught With Pants Down on Job Numbers!"

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

In the midst of the Democrats' national convention, our beloved Bureau of Labor Statistics dropped a bombshell: they revised the past year’s job gains down by a whopping 818,000. Talk about a buzzkill!

Job gains under Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have been a sore spot for Trump – despite stay-at-home moms like yours truly doing fine. But no, Donald Trump, hiding out in Cochise County, Arizona, just had to open his mouth.

"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 ranted.

And then, because one rant wasn't enough, Trump shared a Truth Social post that went full conspiracy mode:

"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."

Sure, the numbers were adjusted, but guess what? The Democrats didn't invent some new numbers to throw at the wall and see what sticks. Experts from left, right, and center all say Trump's claims are as real as my "date" with a supermodel last night.

"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."

So What Really Happened Last Week?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics announced an annual "benchmarking" adjustment based on state-based unemployment insurance data. Yeah, boring stuff that actual economists pay attention to. Turns out, there were 818,000 fewer jobs in March than they first thought. Biggest downward revision in 15 years.

The Republican National Committee tried to pin the blame on Biden-Harris, but they couldn’t even back it up with evidence that the administration cooked the books. Shocker, right?

It's Just Standard Procedure, Folks

The Bureau of Labor Statistics isn't some deep-state organization fooling us. It’s staffed by people who actually know what they’re doing. This "recalibration" happens every year.

"This is all a completely standard process that happens every year," said Dean Baker of the liberal Center for Economic and Policy Research.

Even Tara Sinclair, a George Washington University economist, pointed out that the equivalent revisions released in 2019 during Trump's time also showed a reduction.

Economists "want complete information, but that takes more time, and it’s released on a regularly planned schedule," Sinclair said.

And guess what? The adjustment is preliminary and might change before it’s finalized in February.

PolitiFact's Ruling

Trump said, "The Harris-Biden Administration has been caught fraudulently manipulating Job Statistics."

Nah, just routine adjustments. No evidence of any tampering. Economists across the board say Trump’s accusations are total BS.

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