President Trump is apparently a big fan of the monthly jobs report now that he's in charge. In the past, Trump has slammed the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' unemployment numbers as "phony" and "one of the biggest hoaxes," which led one reporter to ask White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer on Friday whether Trump believed the latest jobs report — which showed America adding 235,000 jobs in February and the unemployment rate dropping to 4.7 percent — was "accurate and a fair way to measure the economy."
Spicer was well-prepared for the question. "I talked to the president prior to this and he said to quote him very clearly: 'They may have been phony in the past but it's very real now,'" Spicer said.
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
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.