White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt praised September’s jobs numbers after new federal data showed hiring far outpaced market expectations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said Thursday that employers added 119,000 jobs last month.
The report offers a political lift for President Donald Trump as polls continue to show voters worried about the cost of living — a central issue in the 2024 campaign and one that could shape next year’s midterm elections if prices remain a pain point.
Leavitt contrasted the latest figures with the previous administration’s record, arguing that the gains reflect a shift toward private-sector hiring and stronger paychecks.
“In stark contrast to the disastrous Biden economy, almost all of these new jobs were in the private sector and went to American-born workers instead of illegal aliens,” she said in a statement. Leavitt also claimed that worker pay is rising again after what she described as wage erosion during the Biden years, adding that the report is early evidence Trump’s “America First” economic approach is taking hold.
September Jobs Data
The 119,000 increase came in well above the roughly 50,000 jobs economists had projected. August’s previously reported 22,000 gain was revised down to a loss of 4,000.
The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.4 percent from 4.3 percent. The report had been delayed from its original early-October release date.
The BLS also confirmed Wednesday that it will not publish a full October jobs report, citing data-collection disruptions tied to the government shutdown. Instead, October payroll figures will be folded into the November report, due December 16, without a separate unemployment rate for October.
Democrats Point to Cost of Living
Democrats responded by focusing on household affordability and inflation pressures.
“It’s clear that this economy isn’t working for working people,” Representative Susie Lee of Nevada wrote on X, arguing that tariffs are pushing up food prices and that Republicans are allowing costs to rise for families and small businesses.
Representative Glenn Ivey of Maryland echoed that criticism on X, saying Trump and congressional Republicans “keep proving they don’t care about working people,” and warning that their agenda is raising costs, increasing unemployment, and risking a downturn.
