Employment Trump shrugs off dismal jobs report as a blip

President Donald Trump on Friday called the economy “very, very strong” and touted rising U.S. wages just hours after the Labor Department’s monthly report for February showed an unexpected and dramatic slowdown in hiring.

U.S. employers added 20,000 jobs in February, the smallest monthly gain in nearly a year and a half and far short of the 180,000 economists had predicted. The weak report was released amid signs of slowing economic growth and was a stark contrast to the 311,000 jobs added in January, which Trump lauded as a victory at the time.


Talking to reporters on the White House lawn Friday, Trump focused not on jobs but on wages, which he said are rising for the “first time in many years.”

“I think the big news really was that wages went up. And that's great for the American worker,” he said. “That's something people — I don't know if they ever expected to see it.”

The president also mentioned the stock market and unemployment rate, which dropped from 4 percent in January to 3.8 percent last month, as signs of a strong economy.

POLITICO Playbook newsletter Sign up today to receive the #1-rated newsletter in politics Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Experts have warned economic growth could slow considerably this year, especially if consumers, investors and businesses show signs of caution. A weaker global economy and a trade war with China could also bring the almost 10-year run of economic expansion to an end.

Trump said Friday his administration is in the process of dealing with China, though he also forecast the United States will do very well economically “with or without a deal.”

“I think as soon as these trade deals are done, if they get done — and we are working with China — we will see what happens,” he said. “But I think you are going to see a very big spike.”

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow on Friday morning called the most recent jobs report “very fluky,” attributing its unexpectedly low results to seasonal issues and timing issues related to the government shutdown.

“I wouldn’t pay any attention to it to be honest with you,” he told reporters on CNBC.