Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics today reported that the economy added 235,000 jobs in February, and that the unemployment rate fell to 4.7%. President Trump touted these better-than-expected figures, even though he has dismissed such reports as a "joke" and a "hoax."
Sean Spicer was asked during today's press briefing if Trump still believes the BLS data is bogus. Spicer said that Trump asked to be quoted directly:
They may have been phony in the past but it's very real now.
VIDEO of Spicer quoting Trump on jobs reports: "They may have been phony in the past, but it's very real now." pic.twitter.com/ewpXW0n6uC — Axios (@axios) March 10, 2017
The Labor Department has not changed its process for collecting or analyzing jobs data since Trump took office.