President Donald Trump said on Fox Business that the United States is experiencing unprecedented success, declaring, “We’re leading everybody in everything.
This is the greatest period of anything that we’ve ever seen.”
But Fox News host Jessica Tarlov responded by pointing to new labor data showing a far less upbeat picture for the job market.
“Meanwhile, 2025 was the worst year for job growth since the pandemic,” Tarlov wrote on X, contrasting Trump’s sweeping remarks with the latest employment numbers.
Hiring Slows Sharply In December
According to a January report from the Labor Department, U.S. employers added just 50,000 jobs in December.
While the unemployment rate edged down to 4.4% from 4.5% in November, hiring remained sluggish.
Job gains for October and November were also revised down by a combined 76,000 positions.
For the full year, employers added 584,000 jobs. That marks a sharp slowdown from 2024, when the economy added 2 million jobs.
It also makes 2025 the weakest year for job growth since 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the labor market.
Manufacturing And Federal Jobs Weigh On Growth
The December report showed mixed conditions across industries. Health care and hospitality were among the few sectors that continued to add jobs.
Health care employment, in particular, tends to hold steady even when broader economic conditions soften.
Manufacturing, however, continued to struggle. Factories cut 8,000 jobs in December and have been in a slump for 10 consecutive months, according to an index of manufacturing activity compiled by the Institute for Supply Management.
Many domestic manufacturers rely on foreign components, and tariffs have increased costs for some businesses.
In the ISM report, one factory manager said, “Morale is very low across manufacturing in general. The cost of living is very high, and component costs are increasing with folks citing tariffs and other price increases.”
Federal employment also declined over the course of the year.
Although the federal government added 2,000 jobs in December, total federal employment was down 277,000 jobs from the beginning of 2025.
Earlier in the fall, workers who accepted buyouts officially dropped off the government payroll.
Slower Population Growth And Worker Anxiety
At the same time, population growth in the United States has slowed.
Congressional forecasters now expect the country to add fewer people over the next decade than projected a year ago.
An aggressive immigration crackdown has contributed to slower growth in the labor force, which can limit overall job creation.
While unemployment remains low by historical standards, surveys suggest workers are growing more uneasy.
A recent survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found workers slightly more worried about losing their jobs in the coming year and less confident about finding a new one if laid off.
Slower hiring can also reduce turnover, as people who already have jobs become less willing to leave them.
That can result in fewer openings for younger workers and others trying to enter the workforce.
Federal Reserve Responds To Cooling Labor Market
The cooling labor market has drawn attention from policymakers.
In December, the Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate for the third time since September, citing concern about economic momentum.
Trump, however, framed the broader picture very differently during his Fox Business appearance.
In addition to praising the economy, he highlighted American leadership in artificial intelligence and national defense.
“Plus, we have a powerful military, a great military strong that I rebuilt in my first term because I had a great first term, you remember very well, you were there…”
Political Divide Over The Economy
Tarlov didn’t try to argue point by point with Trump’s broader claims about AI or military strength. She stuck to the jobs numbers.
By writing that 2025 was “the worst year for job growth since the pandemic,” she drew a clear line between Trump’s upbeat description of the economy and a year that saw hiring slow sharply.
That difference in framing has become familiar. Supporters of the administration point to the low unemployment rate and areas like health care that are still adding jobs.
Critics point to the slowdown in overall hiring, weakness in manufacturing and the downward revisions to earlier job reports.
As the economic data continues to roll in, both sides are likely to keep highlighting the numbers that support their case.