During President Trump’s Feb. 4 State of the Union address — the one Speaker Nancy Pelosi tore up after it was over — the president obviously hyped his administration’s excellent unemployment numbers. Washington Post fact-checker Glenn Kessler notes, however, that Trump was only three years into his first term — just wait until you see the average unemployment numbers after he completes his fourth year in office.
Line from Trump's State of the Union address that did not age well: "“Incredibly, the average unemployment rate under my administration is lower than any administration in the history of our country.”
— Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) April 4, 2020
As we noted in our fact check at the time: "This is worth fact-checking because the average over three years is hardly comparable to a four- or eight-year average for other presidents." Imagine what the average will end up by the conclusion of Trump's term.
— Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) April 4, 2020
This is an example of how manipulated stats can backfire on politicians. You shouldn't be comparing yourself to full-term presidents before your term is up. Things can happen that make such claims appear foolish in retrospect.
— Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) April 4, 2020
Who appears foolish?
Try not to be so happy about this. 🙂
— ?????????? (@maggie0405) April 4, 2020
Congrats?
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) April 4, 2020
Glenn, this is embarrassingly silly. The statement was accurate at the time. No, it did not account for an unprecedented pandemic. Seems fact checkers should focus on things that are actually false, not facts that bother them.
— (((AG))) (@AGHamilton29) April 4, 2020
Recommended
Better give Trump like 35 Pinocchios for not being able to see the future at the very beginning of February when China was lying to the world about how contagious and deadly the coronavirus is. https://t.co/z6t42HhWlp
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) April 4, 2020
I am sorry this happened to you.
— Trudeau Sux ?? (@LibLaugh) April 4, 2020
You are trying too hard, bro.
— Brian Cates //Flynn & Breitbart's Army! (@drawandstrike) April 4, 2020
Swing and a miss Glenn.
Sit this one out.— Ron Jones (@JonesRE) April 4, 2020
Yes, because he totally could have foreseen a virus foisted on the world via China. Good take dude.
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) April 4, 2020
It’s a pandemic fool…
— Mike (@vbcomike) April 4, 2020
Yeah, well, unprecedented worldwide pandemics emenating from authoritarian socialist countries will do that.
— AgainstTrumpDude (@TheAmishDude) April 4, 2020
Hello to the gleeful Washington Post, it took the equivalent of a nuclear bomb on the economy to derail the amazing economy that we have had with Trump as our president but sure go ahead and talk about our current unemployment rate
— abbygobest (@thegobest) April 4, 2020
Fact guy @GlennKesslerWP has just worked out that global pandemics are detrimental to employment and the economy.
— Benjamin Roberts (@bennoba) April 4, 2020
There's something very wrong with you.
— Kelly (@Kisouttahere) April 4, 2020
He was correct. It took a global pandemic from China that shut down the entire country just to get the stock market and unemployment back to Obama-era numbers.
— Aldous Huxley's Ghost™ (@AF632) April 4, 2020
You're literally trying to dunk on trump by displaying that his worst numbers, brought about by a near total economic shut down, are as crappy as Obama's numbers without a a near total economic shut down.
That's not the winning argument you think it is.— ??Marita COVID-rubias?? (@time1_tea) April 4, 2020
Incredible that it took a global pandemic and most every state ordering the shutdown of their economies to take us from the best economy in 50 years back to the best Obama could do. I'm going to pull the lever so hard for Trump in November, your mother is going to feel it.
— Overboosted (@OverboostedOne) April 4, 2020
Cheap shot
— Mike Moss (@_MikeMoss) April 4, 2020
You do realize how stupid this tweet is, don’t you?
— illiberalality_2 (@2Illiberalality) April 4, 2020
I got family in northern Italy, wanna dunk on the unemployment there too, heartless jerk?
— random thoughts (@musings_n) April 4, 2020
I hope to God you are not a “journalist.”
I’m embarrassed for you. Wow.
— Kambree (@KamVTV) April 4, 2020
Good thing you spoke up about a pandemic when you did.
— monkeyboy10000 (@monkeyboy100001) April 4, 2020
“Things a hack would say for a $1000”
— rebel millennial (@patriotic_giant) April 4, 2020
Dude .. seriously .. ever hear of COVID? Seriously, you went there?
— Bob (@AscendToVictory) April 4, 2020
This is a really stupid tweet.
— China is Asshole! Text Trump to 88022 (@Jordan81007378) April 4, 2020
Are you for real? Dumbest tweet of the week.
— Deep State Danny (@king_dann) April 4, 2020
Come on, Glenn.
— Max Nordau (@MaxNordau) April 4, 2020
You really seem determined to destroy your reputation.
— The Mick ??? (@Mickpundit) April 4, 2020
I imagine how happy you are now that the economy has tanked.
— Mr. Clean (@aynrandknew) April 4, 2020
The silver lining in all of this is that the average person is actually starting to realize that the corporate press is in fact the enemy of the people.
— Dale Cooper ?? (@AgentCoopr702) April 4, 2020
One day, for no reason whatsoever, everyone decided to hate the media.
— ?Boko Harambe? (@BokoHarambe) April 4, 2020
What is the point of this? The media is garbage
— BEARDOG (@bhabrock12) April 4, 2020
Delete this, prove you’re better than this.
— Allan Chambers (@ChambersAllan) April 4, 2020
Too bad journo-dunks on Trump don't cure the virus. https://t.co/l8diUC7irG
— jon gabriel (@exjon) April 4, 2020
Kessler seems almost giddy that Trump’s unemployment averages are going to take a hit thanks to a global pandemic started by China.
Related:
‘And yet THIS a-hole is still getting paid’ –> Jim Acosta can barely HIDE his giddiness over record unemployment https://t.co/otgqXuawvD
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) April 2, 2020