May Jobs Report Much Stronger Than Expected, 4% Unemployment

For those rooting for the U.S. economy, there was a lot to like about the latest jobs report, which was released on Friday morning. The data showed the economy adding 272,000 jobs in May — far more than expected — as well as wage growth that continues to outpace inflation. Via MSNBC:

In fact, the closer one looks, the better the figures appear. Over 1.2 million jobs have been created so far this year, and if this pace keeps up, the United States will see roughly 3 million new jobs this year, which is extraordinary. Based on the latest data, American job growth across the first five months of 2024 is better than the first five months of any year of Trump’s presidency.

At a campaign rally in Nevada yesterday, the presumptive Republican nominee insisted, with apparent sincerity, “A hundred percent of the new jobs have gone to illegal aliens.”

Reality, of course, tells a very different story, but at least Trump said something. What did we hear from GOP leaders on Capitol Hill? In keeping with the recent trend, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Mike Johnson responded to the job numbers by saying literally nothing about the good news. No press releases, no tweets, and no public comments.

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