Politics

White House touts gains in final pre-election jobs report

With fresh evidence that the economy continues to grow at a higher pace, GOP lawmakers and President Donald Trump said Friday that the economic improvements were exactly what they had promised to do, making the case for voters to back Republicans on Tuesday in the 2018 mid-term elections.

“These are incredible numbers,” President Trump tweeted on Friday morning. “Keep it going, Vote Republican!”

The latest jobs report showed the nation’s unemployment rate holding at 3.7 percent, a historically low level, as 250,000 jobs were created in the month of October, with wages also increasing.

The average monthly job growth so far in 2018 is almost 213,000 jobs a month, up from almost 180 thousand in the same time frame a year ago.

“This is exactly the kind of good economic news we promised with tax reform,” said Sen. Shelly Moore Capito (R-WV), as GOP lawmakers in Congress echoed the President’s economic review.

“Best pay raises in nearly a decade,” said Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), as Republicans kept up a drumbeat of positive statements on the jobs report, just four days before the end of mid-term voting.

“Tune out the noise & look at the results,” said Rep. Tom Rice (R-SC) on Twitter. “250,000 new jobs added last month amid the highest wage growth in 10 years!”

“Finally we have seen good news on the wage front,” said top White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett, as he touted indications that real wages are growing for workers. “We’ve got extraordinary job growth.”

But while Republicans have pointed those economic successes, they have not seemed to galvanize voter support, as polls have repeatedly shown the tax cut hasn’t impressed a majority of voters.

Some in the GOP have advocated for more attention by the President on the economy, as opposed to some of the more strident talk in recent days about illegal immigration.

“Were going to spend all day and weekend talking about the strong economy, right?” said Brendan Buck, a top aide to House Speaker Paul Ryan, in a post on Twitter.

Some election experts still wonder why the growing economy is not helping Republicans more in the mid-term elections.

“The overall atmosphere isn’t that atrocious for Republicans,” said Sean Trende of Real Clear Politics.

But the GOP tax cut which went into effect this year has not been a help according to many polls, and that seemingly pressed the President into suddenly proposing a new 10 percent tax cut for middle-class Americans.

Mr. Trump originally said the details would be out before the elections, but the White House on Wednesday indicated the fine print would wait until later – as if Republicans lose control of the Congress, the President’s idea would probably go nowhere.