Another Epic Jobs Report for Biden Despite Republicans Polling Better on the Economy

Excellent monthly jobs reports have become a recurring element of the Biden administration, almost as predictable as the sun rising in the east and setting in the west. September 2023’s report was no exception.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 336,000 jobs were added to the U.S. economy in September under President Biden, effectively doubling the prediction of 170,000. This brings the total number of jobs created since Biden’s inauguration to 13.9 million—an extraordinary figure for a first-term president.

For context, “jobs created” is perhaps the single most important macroeconomic indicator used by experts to evaluate the health of any national economy. In this respect (and in many others), Biden’s administration has been exceptional—even as it continues a nearly 35 year old trend:

Since the end of the Cold War, 49.6 million jobs have been added to the U.S. economy. 47.7 million of those jobs—96%—were created under Democratic Presidents Clinton, Obama, and Biden. An anemic 1.9 million were created under Republican Presidents H.W. Bush, Bush, and Trump.

It should be noted, though, that despite this extraordinary disparity in fact, it’s trumped by an even more important disparity in perception. Republicans consistently poll better than Democrats on economic management. In fact, recent polling shows Republicans enjoying the biggest lead over Democrats on the economy in 32 years, a sobering fact for Democrats as we head into an election year.

Though countless Americans experience legitimate pain at the gas pump or the grocery store under Republican or Democratic administrations, this polling reaffirms a persistent failure of Democrats to shape public perception. Republicans have spent decades aggressively, effectively pushing the narrative that they’re better stewards of the economy—despite the data proving otherwise.

The facts show that President Biden’s economy is relatively strong by the very same indicators we’ve always used to evaluate such things. But facts don’t speak for themselves and they will always break when colliding with perception.