'That is the question': Trump ally admits campaign not sure how to attack Biden on economy
Former President Donald Trump's campaign has reportedly been frustrated on how to convince American voters he's the better choice for the economy, given how President Joe Biden has overseen a strong post-pandemic recovery.
According to Politico, the recent jobs report showing that 353,000 new jobs were added in January of 2024 threw a wrench in the works of Trumpworld. January's jobs numbers outpaced the previously projected figure of 182,000 jobs in the first month of the year nearly two times over, and also showed that real wages (meaning inflation-adjusted) grew by more than 4% on average for American workers compared to January of 2023. This month also marks 36 consecutive months of net positive job growth, placing America's pandemic recovery ahead of all other G7 countries.
"I think that is the question of the day," Heritage Foundation senior fellow Stephen Moore told Politico when asked how Trump would attack Biden on economic issues. "You can’t blame the president when policies go wrong, and then say he’s not responsible if things are going right."
READ MORE: 'I would be bragging about it too': Trump economic adviser admits Biden economy is 'good'
The latter part of Moore's comment could be a reference to a recent all-caps post by the former president to his Truth Social platform, when he attempted to spin record-high stock market closings as corporations being optimistic about a potential second Trump term.
"THIS IS THE TRUMP STOCK MARKET BECAUSE MY POLLS AGAINST BIDEN ARE SO GOOD THAT INVESTORS ARE PROJECTING THAT I WILL WIN, AND THAT WILL DRIVE THE MARKET UP," Trump wrote. Republican strategist Charlie Gerow told Politico that if he were Trump, he "wouldn't make that my principal argument," and cautioned the former president's campaign against arguing that the economy is doing well "because of some future occurrence."
The January 2024 jobs report was even lauded by former National Economic Council director Larry Kudlow on Fox News. Kudlow argued the economy was objectively too good to be subjected to partisan spin, saying it's important to "throw away the ballot box and recognize the numbers."
"I know that many of my conservative friends are trying to drill holes in this report. But you know what, folks? It is what it is," he said. "It's a very strong report. Not every economic stat should be viewed through a political lens."
READ MORE: Trump advisor praises Biden economy: 'Throw away the ballot box and recognize the numbers'
Click here to read Politico's full report.
