Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo faced significant backlash on social media after admitting during an interview with ABC News on Wednesday that she was not “familiar” with a major revision to the jobs numbers released earlier that day.
The revision, announced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), revealed that over 800,000 fewer jobs were created than initially reported, a discrepancy that quickly became a topic of political debate.
The exchange occurred when ABC News correspondent Kayna Whitworth questioned Raimondo about the BLS revision. “I am curious as to your thoughts on today the Bureau of Labor saying that more than 800,000 fewer jobs were actually created than initially reported,” Whitworth asked.
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Whitworth then played a clip of former President Donald Trump discussing the revised numbers during a rally in North Carolina.
In the clip, Trump criticized the Biden administration, stating, “The administration padded the numbers with an extra – listen to this one – 818,000 jobs that don’t exist. So they said they existed, and they never did exist. They built ‘em up so they could say what a wonderful job they’re doing.”
In response, Raimondo appeared to dismiss Trump’s comments as misinformation.
When asked if the revision could pose a challenge for Democratic presidential nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris, Raimondo rejected the idea. “No. When I hear that, first of all, I don’t believe it because I’ve never heard Donald Trump say anything truthful,” Raimondo responded.
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However, Whitworth quickly pointed out that the data came directly from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, not Trump. “It is from the Bureau of Labor,” Whitworth clarified.
Raimondo then admitted, “I’m not familiar with that,” despite the report having been released several hours earlier. Rather than addressing the revised jobs numbers further, Raimondo shifted the conversation to express optimism about Harris’ “pro-business” economic vision for the country.
This pivot came amid ongoing criticism of Harris’ economic proposals, with some critics, including those on the left, arguing that her policies could amount to government price controls on businesses.
Raimondo’s admission that she was unaware of the significant revision to the jobs report quickly sparked criticism on social media.
Kamala’s Commerce Secretary hasn’t heard of the Bureau of Labor Statistics?? pic.twitter.com/8SVXFbJTPG
— MAGA War Room (@MAGAIncWarRoom) August 21, 2024
The Commerce Secretary isn’t familiar with the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)? 👀pic.twitter.com/OvOfwiwEhl https://t.co/lLEosvbYjF
— Financelot (@FinanceLancelot) August 21, 2024
Users expressed disbelief that one of the nation’s top economic officials was unfamiliar with such important economic data.
The commerce secretary isn’t familiar with jobs reports from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics 🤡
Who is running the country?
— Jay Feldis (@jfeldis) August 21, 2024
Dude. When Secretary of Commerce is unaware of the Labor Department! https://t.co/fSyNyB2VjV
— Daniel Horowitz (@RMConservative) August 21, 2024
The incident added fuel to ongoing concerns about the Biden administration’s handling of economic issues, particularly as the 2024 presidential election approaches.
The discrepancy of over 800,000 jobs has led to questions about the accuracy and transparency of the government’s economic data.
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