Fact Check: Trump’s False Job Claims Under Biden

On Thursday, former President Donald Trump reiterated his claim that “100%” of the new jobs created during President Joe Biden’s administration have gone to “illegal migrants.” This assertion, which Trump has frequently made, remains unsupported by evidence and contradicts available data showing significant job growth among American-born workers under Biden.

Addressing a crowd at the Economic Club of New York, Trump characterized the current economic situation as a “disaster” and reaffirmed his baseless assertion that the entirety of job growth under the Biden administration has benefitted illegal immigrants. This claim has been a recurring theme in Trump’s rhetoric, despite the lack of evidence to substantiate it.

The assertion that job growth under Biden has been predominantly due to illegal immigration is inaccurate. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), job growth has been more nuanced. The employment of American-born individuals has increased by approximately 6% during Biden’s tenure. In contrast, the employment of foreign-born individuals has grown by 22%. This suggests a broader trend of increased employment across various demographic groups, rather than an exclusive benefit to illegal migrants.

During Trump’s presidency, the employment figures for foreign-born individuals saw a decrease of 1.6%. At the same time, employment among American-born workers also fell by about 1.4%. These figures highlight that the labor market’s dynamics under Trump were not significantly more favorable to foreign-born workers than those under Biden.

It is crucial to understand that the BLS’s category of foreign-born workers includes a diverse range of individuals—legally immigrated workers, naturalized citizens, undocumented workers, refugees, and temporary workers. This categorization does not provide a breakdown of these groups, making it impossible to determine how many of the foreign-born workers are undocumented. Therefore, any increase in foreign-born employment cannot be directly attributed to a rise in illegal immigration.

The job growth observed under Biden extends beyond a mere rebound from the pandemic’s economic impact. In February 2020, there were 15.2 million non-farm employees in the U.S. The latest figures indicate approximately 15.8 million non-farm employees, representing a 4.4% increase in total jobs. This figure, derived from total nonfarm payrolls, encompasses most American workers and reflects a broad recovery and growth in employment.

Trump’s claim that jobs have disproportionately gone to illegal migrants is part of a broader narrative he has maintained in recent months. He made similar assertions last week and has reiterated them in June and August. Both Biden and Trump have claimed superior performance in managing the labor market, but White House policies are not the sole determinants of labor market trends. Economic factors, such as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, unemployment rates, and labor shortages, play significant roles. Felix Koeing, an economics professor at Carnegie Mellon University, has noted that attributing labor market changes to a specific presidential administration is challenging, given the broader macroeconomic influences at play.

The unemployment rate also presents a mixed picture. Under Trump, the unemployment rate rose by 1.7 percentage points from 4.7% to 6.4%. In contrast, the most recent figures show a decline of 2.1 percentage points under Biden, bringing the unemployment rate down to 4.3%. This improvement follows a pre-pandemic rate of 3.5% in February 2020.

Despite these indicators of a recovering economy under Biden, public opinion reflects a different sentiment. Polling data suggests that many Americans prefer Trump’s economic policies over Biden’s. Only 19% of Americans feel financially better off since Biden’s inauguration, while 50% feel worse off. Additionally, 27% of respondents believe Biden’s economic policies have been beneficial, compared to 49% who view them as harmful. Under Trump, the stock market performed better, though both presidents achieved above-average gains. Inflation was lower during Trump’s presidency, and federal debt increased by more than 25% under Biden compared to a 39% rise during Trump’s term.

In summary, Trump’s claim that all new jobs under Biden have gone to illegal migrants is unfounded and contradicts available data. Job growth under Biden has been inclusive of both American-born and foreign-born workers, with significant increases in employment across various groups. While public opinion may favor Trump’s economic policies, the actual data presents a more complex picture of the labor market’s evolution during Biden’s presidency.