Trump Showcases Charts to Defend US Economy After Weak Jobs Report, Firing of Labor Statistics Chief

President Donald Trump on Thursday unexpectedly invited reporters into the Oval Office to display charts he claimed prove the US economy remains strong, days after a disappointing jobs report and his firing of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) chief.

Trump was joined by Stephen Moore, a senior visiting fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation and co-author of Trumponomics, who compared Trump’s economic record favorably to that of former President Joe Biden. Standing beside Moore, Trump nodded and interjected as Moore flipped through charts on an easel.

The appearance underscored Trump’s bid to reset the economic narrative. While stocks remain solid, job growth has slowed and inflationary pressures have risen in the wake of Trump’s sweeping new tariffs.

Moore said he called Trump after compiling data that he claims justified the dismissal of BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer, alleging the agency overstated job growth during Biden’s last two years by 1.5 million. Trump accused the BLS of acting “purposely,” without offering statistical evidence. Experts note that revisions to jobs data are standard, especially during economic disruption.

The July jobs report showed only 73,000 positions added, with May and June totals revised down by 258,000. Through the first seven months of this year, 597,000 jobs were created — a 44% drop from the same period in 2024. By contrast, Biden’s economy added 2 million jobs in 2024 and 2.6 million in 2023, though it was hit by surging inflation in 2022 that helped fuel Trump’s political comeback.

Inflation is again showing signs of heating up. Goldman Sachs projects July’s report will show consumer prices up 3% from a year earlier, compared to 2.3% in April, citing the inflationary effects of Trump’s tariffs.

Moore claimed that in Trump’s first five months back in office, median household income — adjusted for inflation — rose by $1,174, citing unpublished Census Bureau data that cannot be independently verified. Trump called the figure “incredible,” adding, “If I would have said this, nobody would have believed it.”