Startseite
Podcasts
Platypus Economics with Justin Wolfers Podcast
Trump Tried to Mess With the Jobs Report. It Didn't Work. | Diving In

Trump Tried to Mess With the Jobs Report. It Didn't Work. | Diving In

Platypus Economics with Justin Wolfers vor 2 Monaten

0:00

19:17

When the latest jobs report showed strong numbers, the internet
exploded with accusations of fraud and government manipulation.
And given everything the Trump administration has done—firing the
head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, attempting to install a
partisan loyalist in her place—that skepticism isn't entirely
unfounded. But skepticism and dismissal are two very different
things. In this video, I want to give you the tools to evaluate
the data yourself, rather than simply asking you to take my word
for it.

Here's what most people don't realize: the jobs report isn't a
single number conjured by one agency. It's built from two
separate surveys, cross-checked against state unemployment
records, and stress-tested every month by independent researchers
and private sector data from companies like ADP and Bank of
America. I've seen authoritarian governments actually manipulate
their economic data—and I know exactly what that looks like.
What's happening right now isn't it. In this episode, I'll walk
you through the anatomy of the jobs report, explain what real
data distortion looks like, and make the case for why good
economics means following the evidence—even when it doesn't fit
the story you expected.

4:05 6:30 How the institution quietly held 9:16 Why
I believe the numbers 14:00 What distorted data really looks like
16:06 Why the labor market looks strong

Subscribe on YouTube https://youtube.com/platypuseconomics

Subscribe on Substack https://newsletter.platypuseconomics.com

Follow on Social Media @PlatypusEconomics and @JustinWolfers

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.