WASHINGTON ― During his campaign for president, Donald Trump frequently said the official U.S. unemployment statistics were “phony” and that the real jobless rate was many times higher than the government said.
On Friday, he touted the numbers in the first monthly jobs report released under his administration.
Trump used to love complaining about the Labor Department’s monthly report, which tallies the number of jobs gained and the unemployment rate. The unemployment rate hovered around 5 percent for most of the presidential campaign, which economists consider a decently low number.
“Don’t believe those phony numbers when you hear 4.9 and 5 percent unemployment,” Trump said last February. “The number’s probably 28, 29, as high as 35. In fact, I even heard recently 42 percent.”
“The five percent figure is one of the biggest hoaxes in modern politics,” he said in an August speech.
In November, right before the election, Trump again called the unemployment rate number “phony.”
Never ending, tomorrow he will probably deny his campaign statements, or Kellyanne will explain.
On Friday, he touted the numbers in the first monthly jobs report released under his administration.
Trump used to love complaining about the Labor Department’s monthly report, which tallies the number of jobs gained and the unemployment rate. The unemployment rate hovered around 5 percent for most of the presidential campaign, which economists consider a decently low number.
“Don’t believe those phony numbers when you hear 4.9 and 5 percent unemployment,” Trump said last February. “The number’s probably 28, 29, as high as 35. In fact, I even heard recently 42 percent.”
“The five percent figure is one of the biggest hoaxes in modern politics,” he said in an August speech.
In November, right before the election, Trump again called the unemployment rate number “phony.”
Never ending, tomorrow he will probably deny his campaign statements, or Kellyanne will explain.
