The unmanly truth about Trump’s jobs record

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the economy added only 29,000 jobs in September, and wages again rose more slowly than prices. MS NOW columnist Paul Waldman argues that the weak numbers expose a wide distance between what President Donald Trump pledged and what he has produced, particularly for young and rural men who pinned their hopes on him.

Trump's approval on the economy averages in the low 30s. Approval on the cost of living stands at 17% in both the latest AP/NORC and Reuters/Ipsos surveys. Waldman says Trump's promise of a revived manufacturing heartland has not materialized: there are fewer factory jobs than when he took office, and jobs in rural and Rust Belt regions tend to pay little. Trade wars and higher gas prices tied to the Iran war have hit rural drivers hard.

Economist Justin Wolfers notes that healthcare and social services have supplied more than 100% of job growth since Trump took office, adding just under a million jobs while the rest of the economy shed over 220,000. Waldman contends Trump instead promoted a vision of manhood built on bullying and anxiety rather than steering young men toward such work.

Summarized by PolitiKool from MS NOW’s reporting. Read the full story at MS NOW →