Trump Faces Growing Backlash as Jobs Crisis Deepens
The latest numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics have painted a troubling picture of the U.S. economy, and the situation appears far worse than many had imagined. Only 22,000 jobs were added in August, the weakest growth in five years, when the economy usually needs about 100,000 new jobs a month just to keep up with population growth. That means job creation has essentially stalled. The unemployment rate rose to 4.3 percent, the highest since 2021, and about one-quarter of unemployed workers have been searching for six months or longer—the largest share of long-term job seekers in nearly a decade.
What makes this moment especially concerning is that, for the first time since 2021, there are more people actively looking for work than there are job openings. Layoffs have been spreading, hiring has slowed, and private debt and weak consumer spending have added more pressure. Even sectors that had been resilient, like health care, are starting to buckle under the weight of federal cuts and declining demand. Manufacturing, which was supposed to benefit from Trump’s tariffs, has instead lost tens of thousands of jobs this year. Trade and transportation industries are also shrinking, leaving many workers stranded in a shrinking labor market.
Also Read:And the burden isn’t being shared equally. Black workers are facing some of the heaviest blows. Unemployment for Black Americans climbed to 7.5 percent in August, up sharply from 6 percent just a few months earlier. For young Black workers, the rate is an alarming 16.8 percent. Analysts point out that the record job gains Black workers made just two years ago have now been wiped out. This is not just a statistical quirk—many of the policies pushed by the Trump administration, including rollbacks of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and mass layoffs in federal jobs, have hit Black communities disproportionately hard. The ripple effect is being felt across Black-owned small businesses too, as reduced incomes cut into spending power.
Meanwhile, Trump himself has tried to deflect blame, taking aim at the Federal Reserve for not cutting interest rates and even firing the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics after a disappointing July report. His administration has suggested, without evidence, that the numbers are being rigged against him. Yet the data cannot be spun indefinitely. Voters are noticing, and polls show economic approval of Trump at record lows, with independents and even some Republicans souring on his leadership.
The danger for Trump is not only economic but political. His power has often depended on a public willing to tolerate his more controversial moves so long as they didn’t feel immediate pain. But when people lose jobs, when bills can’t be paid, and when communities are disproportionately hurt, patience runs out. Trump once boasted about record-low unemployment among Black Americans during his first term. Now, he finds himself presiding over rising joblessness, shrinking opportunity, and growing skepticism about whether his economic agenda was ever built to deliver on its promises.
If these trends continue, the crisis could undercut his entire agenda—and this time, blaming others may not be enough to shield him.
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