Trump’s economy added only 29,000 jobs in September, far below expectations
Donald Trump and JD Vance’s job market continues to erode, making it nearly impossible for Americans to find and keep good-paying jobs. The September jobs report revealed that Trump’s job market added a meager 29,000 jobs last month — well below economists’ expectations — while employment in July and August combined was revised down by 60,000 and the unemployment rate increased to 4.2%. Inflation continued to swallow workers’ wages as wage growth hit a five-year low.
In response, DNC Deputy Communications Director Kendall Witmer released the following statement:
“Donald Trump and JD Vance hollowed out the job market, leaving Americans struggling to find good-paying jobs — while sky-high prices on gas and groceries have swallowed up Americans’ wages. Trump promised to ‘defeat inflation,’ but instead he imposed reckless tariffs and started a war with Iran that have made everyday life unaffordable for working families. Now, in the final stretch leading up to the midterms, Trump’s economy continues to crush everyday Americans — and voters are fed up.”
Additional data this week showed that the labor market is stagnant, as Americans struggle to find good-paying jobs. The number of people who say that it’s hard to get a job right now has hit its highest point since early 2021. U.S. job openings fell by 256,000 in August — including big drops in construction and manufacturing jobs — the lowest job-openings rate in five months.
Meanwhile, under Trump and Vance, the average American family has had to pay more than $4,200 extra for everyday essentials, including $310 more for groceries and $833 more for housing. To make matters worse, consumer confidence in September fell to the lowest level since 2014, and consumers’ expectations for the future are the worst since 2013. For only the second time on record, more people say their family’s current financial situation is bad than good.
A new poll this week found only 17% of Americans approve of how Trump is handling the cost of living, while 65% blame Trump’s policies for high prices. Approximately half of adults now say they are “extremely” or “very concerned” about being able to fill up their tanks or afford food, up more than 10 points since July.
