The White House is taking credit for January’s robust jobs report, saying that companies ramped up hiring amid optimism that President Trump would be more friendly to businesses than President Obama.



The economy added 227,000 new jobs in January, far greater than the 175,000 jobs economists had expected.



The report, the first since Trump took office on Jan. 20, also found the unemployment rate tick up to 4.8 percent because more Americans were looking for work.



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“Today’s report reflects the consumer confidence that the Trump presidency has inspired,” White House press secretary Sean Spicer said. “According to a recent Gallup poll, economic confidence is at a new high, and ADP showed strong private-sector hiring. President Trump campaigned on putting Americans to work again. Even before he took office, the markets knew he’d deliver on that promise. The president has already taken significant steps to turn our economy around, and he’s looking forward to ensuring that every American that wants a job has the opportunity to find one.”



Trump repeatedly said on the campaign trail that the unemployment rate was a “hoax," arguing that actual unemployment was much higher than was being reported.



January marked the 76th consecutive month of job growth, an indication that Obama handed over a healthy labor market.



Trump met with top business leaders from across the nation on Friday, some of whom confronted him with reservations about his recent executive actions on immigration.



The president will also sign two executive orders on Friday aimed at dismantling the regulatory state and scaling back the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which was enacted in the aftermath of the 2008 economic crisis.



“This morning the president participated in a strategic policy forum with business leaders from some of our countries most successful companies,” Spicer said. “The president also understands the importance of an open dialogue with business leaders on how to make the nation’s economy stronger. His firsthand experience as a successful businessman helps to guide his decisions as president, and he will continue to seek opinions of other job creators while crafting an economic agenda.”



“All of these meetings are focused on one primary goal, providing new and improved employment opportunities for all Americans,” Spicer continued. “We’re looking at a full range of policy measures to achieve that goal, including regulatory relief, tax and trade reform, empowering women in the workplace, rebuilding America’s crumbling infrastructure, and improving our education system.”