President Obama — who has been pummeled with criticism this week for his shockingly listless and mediocre debate performance — got some good news on Friday: The unemployment rate dropped below 8 percent for the first time in nearly four years. (The September jobless rate of 7.8 percent is the lowest number since Obama took office in January 2009.) But before the news could really set in, former GE CEO Jack Welch took to Twitter to accuse Obama of manipulating the jobs report for his own benefit. And he's not the only one. Below, meet Twitter's "jobs report truthers." (And for some helpful context, read The Washington Post's Ezra Klein thoroughly debunk the conspiracy theories.)
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The Week US subscriptions FAQHow to manage your subscription, get digital access, enquire about delivery problems and renew gift subscriptions
-
10 upcoming albums to stream during spooky seasonThe Week Recommends As fall arrives, check out new albums from Taylor Swift, Jeff Tweedy, the Lemonheads and more
-
Crossword: September 11, 2025The Week's daily crossword
