Vice President Kamala Harris made a claim about former President Donald Trump’s job record during an MSNBC interview. She stated that Trump left the U.S. with the worst economy since the Great Depression. Her focus was on the employment numbers.
The interviewer, Stephanie Ruhle, noted the Covid-19 pandemic’s role in the job losses. Harris doubled down, saying Trump lost at least 200,000 manufacturing jobs, even before the pandemic.
But facts show her claim isn’t accurate. Before the pandemic, Trump oversaw a gain of 414,000 manufacturing jobs. And by the end of his presidency, there was a net loss of 178,000, not over 200,000 as Harris said.
Manufacturing jobs, like all employment numbers, fluctuate. While the pandemic caused major losses, Trump’s administration saw an increase before that.
CNN reached out to Harris’ team for clarification. They pointed to a speech where Harris said nearly 200,000 jobs were lost during Trump’s presidency. That claim was true.
The losses started before the pandemic, but Harris’ comment on social media misrepresented her earlier accurate statement, turning it into a false claim.