US erases job gains by 33K as voters blame Trump for handling of economy

Thursday’s jobs report added to growing evidence that the US labor market is losing steam.

The September report, compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), found that hiring in July and August was overstated by 33,000.

July job creation was revised by 7,000 from a gain of 79,000 to 72,000 and August job gains were reduced by 26,000 from a gain of 22,000 to a loss of 4,000.

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The September jobs report was originally scheduled to be released on October 3, but was postponed amid the nation’s longest government shutdown, resulting in BLS employees being temporarily furloughed.

According to the report, federal employment has fallen by 97,000 since its peak in January. The BLS clarified that workers who take paid leave or receive severance pay remain classified as employees in its establishment survey.

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The weaker jobs picture is reflected in how Americans view the economy.

According to a new national survey by Fox News, 76% of voters rate the economy unfavorably, compared to 67% in July and 70% at the end of former president Joe Biden’s term.

Voters largely blame President Donald Trump for the economic downturn, holding him about twice as responsible for the current economy as former President Joe Biden, and three times as much saying his policies have hurt them personally.

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Meanwhile, approval of Trump’s handling of the economy has fallen to a new low, while disapproval of his overall job performance has risen to record levels, even among some of his core supporters.

However, Trump has put the economy at the center of his second term, citing tax cuts, deregulation, energy expansion and foreign investment as evidence of the success of his policies.

This narrative was tested in August, when he suddenly fired the agency’s commissioner. Erica McInterfer. Her dismissal came hours after the agency published new data showing that job growth was significantly overstated.

President Donald Trump fired Erica McIntarver, Commissioner of Labor Statistics at the US Department of Labor, last August, after the jobs report was released. (US Bureau of Labor Statistics/Bulletin/Reuters/Reuters)

The bureau revised the May and June numbers down by 258,000 jobs, representing an unusually large correction that drew sharp criticism from Trump.

“In my opinion, today’s jobs numbers were rigged to make Republicans, and me, look bad,” Trump wrote in an August 1 Truth Social post.

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The struggle over these numbers comes as the BLS is still emerging from the shutdown.

The U.S. Labor Department said Wednesday that the October jobs report will not be published on a standalone basis, as agency workers were unable to compile a key portion of the report during the government shutdown.

The delay means voters and markets will have to wait until December to get a clearer picture of the direction of the labor market.

Fox Business Eric Revell She contributed to this report.