Janice R. Andrews
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — In an unexpected turn of events on Wednesday, Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for president, made a new, unproven claim meant to cast question on the upcoming election results. During a campaign stop in Asheboro, North Carolina, Trump said that the Biden-Harris administration had tampered with government economic data, but he didn’t show any proof to back up his claims. The former president’s speech was mostly about the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) updated job growth numbers, which he said were part of a bigger plan to change the outcome of the November election.
The new job numbers and Trump’s accusations
Trump’s claims were mostly about how the BLS, an independent federal body in charge of labor market data, recently changed job numbers. The new study showed that between April 2023 and March 2024, the U.S. economy produced 818,000 fewer jobs than was first thought. Trump said that the change was unprecedented, but he was wrong. He said, “There’s never been any revision like this,” and he said, without any proof, that the government planned to keep the information secret until after the election.
But the BLS regularly updates its job growth numbers as more complete data comes in. This has been done for decades and is standard practice. For example, during Trump’s leadership in 2019, the BLS lowered job numbers by more than 500,000. This is the same process that is being used now. These changes are very important for getting correct information about the state of the job market, which is used by lawmakers, economists, and companies to make decisions.
What Trump’s claims mean for politics
Trump’s comments are a big step up in his efforts to make people not trust neutral institutions before the election. By criticizing the BLS, Trump is trying to discredit economic data that might not fit with his campaign story before it even comes out. This approach fits with his larger plan to question the legitimacy of political processes, which has been a big part of his campaign speech.
During his speech, Trump also said that the Biden-Harris administration was trying to “hide” the new job numbers by saying that the information got out before it was supposed to. There is no proof to back these claims, though, and the BLS has not said anything about them.
Responses from economists and politicians
A wide range of experts, from both Democrats and Republicans, have harshly criticized Trump’s false claims. A conservative economist at the American Enterprise Institute named Michael Strain spoke out against Trump’s comments, saying, “President Trump’s attacks on the integrity of the BLS are obviously dishonest and completely false.” The changes happen every year, even while President Trump was in office. There is nothing shocking about this at all, and to say otherwise is outrageous.
Other economists agreed with this point of view and warned that attacks like these could make people less trusting of important government data and make it harder for lawmakers to make smart choices.
A Change in the Campaign Plan
Trump’s speech in Asheboro on Wednesday was supposed to be about national security, but it quickly turned to familiar topics like personal threats and false accusations. Trump has been having a run of events this week in swing states. His campaign has called these events “policy-focused.” Trump’s repeated attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris and others have, however, made these visits less important.
At the event in Asheboro, Trump even admitted that it was hard for him to stay on topic. He asked the crowd casually if he should focus on policy issues or personal attacks. Trump’s speech seemed to be influenced by how excited the crowd was about personal attacks. He made several jabs at Harris, including mispronouncing her name, which some have called racist.
Safety and the state of politics
Asheboro was also Trump’s first outdoor campaign stop with protective glass, which was put in place after last month’s failed murder attempt. This increased security shows how heated the political atmosphere is right now, as Trump’s controversial comments and aggressive campaign tactics continue to make news.
North Carolina is still a very important target in the future election. In most polls, Trump is currently only slightly ahead of Harris. They both want to win this state because it hasn’t voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since Barack Obama won in 2008.
Trump’s More General Campaign Story
Besides talking about jobs, Trump’s speech also brought up a number of issues from his past campaigns. He said bad things about how the Biden-Harris administration was handling the U.S. pullout from Afghanistan and said the country is close to “World War III.” This was meant to make his possible return to the White House sound like it would be good for national security.
Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, Trump’s running mate, also spoke out, repeating Trump’s tough words. Vance called the pullout from Afghanistan “treason,” which made the crowd even more angry and emphasized how hostile the campaign was.
As the election in November draws near, Trump’s latest claims about changing economic facts are a new front in his ongoing campaign to discredit the institutions and processes that make American democracy work. Experts have mostly dismissed these claims because they are based on little or no proof, but they still hit home with his supporters. This shows how deeply divided and distrustful politics have become in recent years.
