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"Trump Torches Truth Again: Blames Biden, Harris for Cooking Up Jobs Report"

Oh, absolutely, folks! Trust the process, right? It's not like the system is rigged or anything. Those job numbers are as pure as driven snow. Move along, nothing to see here!

Published August 26, 2024 at 5:06am by

Donald Trump

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

Oh, the nerve! Just in time for the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, the Bureau of Labor Statistics handed the Dems a huge "oopsie" — a downward correction of 818,000 jobs over the past year. Talk about a buzzkill!

Despite this minor hiccup, job growth during the Biden-Harris administration has been a beacon of hope in our otherwise inflation-ridden economy.

But, of course, our former fearless leader, Donald Trump, couldn't resist taking a swing at Harris and Biden during an event in Arizona on August 22:

"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 said.

And as if that wasn't enough, Trump's Truth Social post on August 21 was a real doozy:

"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."

Okay, so here's the deal: the past year’s job numbers were adjusted last week to show 818,000 fewer jobs than initially thought. That’s a mere half a percentage point for all jobs in the economy — not exactly the apocalypse Trump is making it out to be.

But get this: economists from all sides of the political spectrum are rolling their eyes at Trump’s allegations of data manipulation. This annual adjustment is as routine as your annual physical — maybe not fun, but totally necessary.

"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?

Last Wednesday, the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics announced an annual "benchmarking" adjustment based on state-level unemployment insurance data. This data is more accurate than the employer-based info they use for monthly reports.

Using this fresh data, they found that there were 818,000 fewer jobs in March than initially announced — the biggest downward revision in 15 years. This had some economists scratching their heads, wondering if the economy might be taking a dip.

When asked about it, Republican National Committee spokesperson Anna Kelly just threw some shade, saying the Biden-Harris administration was to blame for the economic crisis. But surprise, surprise — she had zero evidence to back up Trump’s wild accusations.

This recalculation was totally standard

The Bureau of Labor Statistics is full of trained professionals who follow well-defined, non-partisan procedures. There’s no secret conspiracy going on here, folks.

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

And guess what? The revisions released in 2019, when Trump was still in charge, also showed a "notable reduction." Just saying.

Economists want the best data possible, and that takes time. The recent adjustment is just a preliminary step, and it could change before it becomes official in February.

PolitiFact's ruling

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

Yeah, no. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ routine revision sure puts a dent in Harris’ economic cheerleading, but there’s zero evidence of any administrative funny business. Civil servants have been doing this the same way, on the same schedule, for ages.

Economists from all political leanings agree: no monkeying with the data here.

Trump’s statement is not only false but laughably 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