There are certainly some things that make you go “hmmm” and this is one of those things.
But first let’s jump into some background.
Recently, social media erupted in criticism after President Biden’s Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo, admitted in an interview with ABC News that she was “not familiar” with a major revision to the jobs numbers released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). This admission came as ABC News correspondent Kayna Whitworth asked Raimondo for her reaction to the revised jobs data, which showed that over 800,000 fewer jobs were created than initially reported.
During the interview, Whitworth asked Raimondo about the updated figures from her own administration and played a clip of former President Trump, who had earlier addressed the revision during a rally in North Carolina. Trump accused the Biden administration of inflating job numbers, stating, “The administration padded the numbers with an extra – listen to this one – 818,000 jobs that don’t exist. They built ‘em up so they could say what a wonderful job they’re doing.”
Raimondo appeared to dismiss what Trump said, responding, “When I hear that, first of all, I don’t believe it because I’ve never heard Donald Trump say anything truthful.” However, when Whitworth clarified that the figures originated from her boss, Raimondo’s response was surprising: “I’m not familiar with that,” she said, despite the report having been released several hours earlier.
Reporter: Nearly a million jobs “created” since Kamala took office do not exist.
Raimondo: “I don’t believe it because I’ve never heard Trump say anything truthful.”
Reporter: “It is from the Bureau of Labor.”
Raimondo: “I’m not familiar with that.”pic.twitter.com/UFKJiwWuPZ
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) August 21, 2024
Former President Trump seized the opportunity to amplify his criticisms. He took to social media, alleging that the Biden-Harris administration had deliberately “padded the numbers” to conceal economic troubles. Trump, who is now the Republican Party’s presidential nominee, accused the administration of manipulating job statistics, stating on his Truth Social platform, “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’s claims were reinforced during a campaign event in North Carolina, where he asserted that the jobs data revision was not merely an adjustment but a “total lie.” His remarks were part of a broader critique of the administration’s economic policies, particularly concerning high inflation and the perceived weakening of the labor market.
Economists have noted that the revised figures from the Labor Department, which showed an overstatement of new jobs by approximately 818,000 over the past year, suggest a more fragile labor market than the Biden-Harris administration claimed. This revision amounts to a nearly 30% downward adjustment, raising concerns about the true state of the U.S. economy as it continues to recover from the massive recession triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
So the question is, why would Biden release this report that makes them look absolutely terrible during the DNC?
Everything Kamala has said about the economy just went up in smoke.
It is certainly something that makes you go “hmmmm.”
