Former President Donald Trump is preparing to launch a verbal assault on Vice President Kamala Harris at a rally in North Carolina.
Trump is expected to blame Harris's economic policies for recent job losses despite the Department of Labor pointing to hurricanes and strikes as primary factors, Fox News reported.
On Saturday, Trump will address his supporters, pinpointing the recent decline in job numbers on Harris. His attention will be on the Department of Labor's announcement that job growth significantly diminished in October, with only 12,000 jobs created against an expected 113,000. Job losses in various sectors were attributed to adverse weather and labor strikes.
Trump’s remarks will likely challenge Harris directly, assigning responsibility for diminishing job figures on her economic strategies. In a draft of his speech, Trump states that Harris caused widespread job losses, specifically noting the manufacturing sector's notable decline. The Department of Labor’s analysis, however, attributes these losses primarily to hurricanes Helene and Milton, which affected the southeastern regions of the U.S.
Adding to the dim outlook, revisions for August and September jobs were significantly reduced. Private sector employment decreased by 28,000 jobs in October, deviating considerably from the forecasted increase of 90,000 jobs. These figures give Trump ammunition in his speech against Harris's economic policies.
The most impacted industry was manufacturing, with a reduction of 46,000 jobs, a drop significantly influenced by strike actions, such as those from 33,000 Boeing machinists. This data provides context that may clash with Trump's narrative attributing the losses solely to Harris's policies.
The report also showed that while some sectors suffered losses, others showed modest gains. The construction sector saw a limited increase of 8,000 jobs, below its historical monthly average. The healthcare and government sectors, however, largely maintained their typical growth patterns, adding 52,300 and 40,000 jobs, respectively.
Despite these developments, the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.1%. This static figure, amidst the downward revisions and modest advancements, sets the stage for Trump’s critical remarks.
Trump is set to say: Yesterday, it was announced that our country lost nearly 30,000 private sector jobs last month alone, along with nearly 50,000 manufacturing jobs in a single month. They’re trying to blame the Hurricane for the jobs numbers—but it wasn’t Hurricane Helene, it was Hurricane Kamala.
Trump's prepared comments label the economic situation "catastrophic" under Harris, claiming sizable losses in manufacturing and an increase in unemployment rates. He suggests that Harris's "agenda" has resulted in over 100,000 manufacturing job losses since the start of the year. In his critique, Trump highlights the addition of 150,000 Americans to unemployment rolls as further evidence of his claims.
The vice president has not publicly responded to these assertions within this news cycle. However, the broader economic context offered by the Department of Labor outlines factors beyond direct policy control contributing to job fluctuations.
As the narrative unfolds, Trump will inevitably seek to leverage these statistics to bolster his political position and criticize current governmental leadership. His rhetoric at the rally will likely resonate within his base, underscoring his interpretation of the causes behind these economic challenges.
Trump plans to intensify his focus on Harris in light of the latest employment report, emphasizing what he sees as policy failures. He will use the rally in North Carolina as a platform to reiterate his stance on national economic health.
Overall, Trump’s upcoming speech will highlight his criticisms of the vice president's economic policies amid an employment landscape shaped by multiple complexities. While attributing blame to Harris, Trump must contend with the overarching narrative provided by the Department of Labor, which points to natural and labor disruptions as pivotal factors behind the data.
