Is President Trump Responsible For More Than 54,000 Minnesota Jobs?
(Note: An earlier version of this story included numbers provided to WCCO by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development that have since been corrected.)
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Trump campaign says one reason the president is visiting Minnesota is to highlight his work on a booming United States economy, and the more than 50,000 jobs created in the state.
There's no doubt the economy is strong under President Trump. Unemployment is at near record lows. The stock market at record highs. And the president, like all presidents before him, is taking credit for the good news.
But his campaign says Trump is responsible for creating 54,500 jobs in Minnesota.
"The president is winning over new voters because of the policies he's put forward, the soaring economy, the more than 54,000 jobs created in Minnesota, and people recognize his success, and they also recognize the obstructionism of Democrats," said Kayleigh McEnany, national press secretary of the Trump 2020 campaign.
It is fair in politics for a president to take credit for a strong economy, but claiming President Trump created more than 54,000 jobs in Minnesota is false, according to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, which tracks the numbers. They say that from January 2017 through August 2019, Minnesota added a total of 39,700 jobs.
But the Minnesota numbers are starting to get weaker, a warning sign to Minnesota policy makers who are worried about a slowing global economy.
The bottom line: It is well within accepted boundaries of political rhetoric to claim credit for a good economy. But the Trump campaign claim of creating 54,000 jobs in Minnesota is dramatically inflated.
