Trump campaign lashes out after Obama reminds people he created a lot of jobs

The Trump campaign on Monday tried to take credit for economic gains initiated under President Barack Obama, after the latter shared a post on social media marking the anniversary of a 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Earlier in the day, Obama had marked the 11-year anniversary of the Recovery Act becoming law. “Eleven years ago today, near the bottom of the worst recession in generations,” he tweeted, “I signed the Recovery Act, paving the way for more than a decade of economic growth and the longest streak of job creation in American history.”

Trump’s reelection campaign took exception to Obama’s tweet in a statement to Fox News.

“President Trump reversed every single failed Obama-era economic policy, and with it, reversed the floundering Obama/Biden economy,” wrote Kayleigh McEnany, Trump’s national campaign press secretary.

In reality, the recovery that Trump inherited when he took office in early 2017 began in large part under Obama.

By the time Obama took office in January 2009, the Bush-era Great Recession had wrought havoc on the economy, with nearly 800,000 jobs lost that month alone.

After the Recovery Act was enacted — without significant support from the Republican Party — the economy began adding jobs. For the remainder of Obama’s time in office and into Trump’s tenure, the economy added jobs every single month.

When Obama took office, unemployment had reached as high as 10%. By his last full month in office, December 2016, the economy added 146,000 jobs and the unemployment rate was at 4.7%.

Trump has previously attempted to talk down the Obama recovery and take credit for his predecessor’s economic gains.

“The years of economic decay are over,” Trump said in his State of the Union address on Feb. 4. “The days of our country being used, taken advantage of, and even scorned by other nations are long behind us. Gone, too, are the broken promises, jobless recoveries, tired platitudes and constant excuses for the depletion of American wealth, power and prestige.”

He added, “If we hadn’t reversed the failed economic policies of the previous administration, the world would not now be witnessing this great economic success.”

Politifact notably rated Trump’s comments as “false.”

“Across a broad range of economic metrics, economic performance under Trump continued gains made during the final years under Obama,” it wrote.

Trump “inherited an economy that was already getting back on its feet,” Politifact added.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.