Nov 2, 2024 - Politics & Policy

Trump hits Harris over jobs report: "Depression-type numbers"

Axios

Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump holds a campaign rally at Gastonia Municipal Airport on November 02, 2024 in Gastonia, North Carolina. With three days until the election, Trump is campaigning for re-election in the battleground state of North Carolina, — Former President Trump campaigns at his rally at Gastonia Municipal Airport on Nov. 2, 2024 in North Carolina. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Former President Trump hammered Vice President Harris on the latest jobs report at his rally Saturday in North Carolina, calling October's figures "depression-type numbers."

Why it matters: The final jobs report before the presidential election was weaker than expected, with just 12,000 jobs added. But economists blamed strikes and the effects of Hurricane Helene for the slowdown, and other economic indicators have generally been positive.

Speaking at Gastonia Municipal Airport, Trump cited the numbers to argue Harris and President Biden "broke" the U.S. economy.
"How good is that if you happen to be running against the people who did that," Trump asked, later claiming without evidence migrants have taken "African American jobs."

Zoom in: Friday's report was far worse than the 110,000 job gains economists expected.

It's the worst payroll figure since December 2020, when the economy shed hundreds of thousands of jobs.

Yes, but: The unemployment rate held at 4.1%, a clue the labor market is still solid, Axios' Courtenay Brown writes.

In addition to the hurricanes, Boeing's strike was also a key factor in the weak report.
The next president will nonetheless inherit an economy that is working pretty well both for households and businesses, Axios' Neil Irwin notes.

Go deeper: October jobs report is uglier than economists expected

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Trump hits Harris over jobs report: "Depression-type numbers"

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