The unemployment rate fell to 3.9% and economy added 199,000 jobs but that’s “disappointing” to Senator Capito and the media
Are there different standards for Trump and Biden?
In May of 2018, the national unemployment rate reached an 18 year low at 3.8%. Here is how West Virginia’s senator, Shelley Moore Capito responded:
This economy is roaring. We have the lowest unemployment that we have had in decades.
Yesterday, I was struck by this tweet by Senator Shelley Moore Capito:
Another month, another disappointing jobs report under Joe Biden. https://t.co/GCxQ2r6pIR
— Shelley Moore Capito (@SenCapito) January 7, 2022
It was only 3.9%! Trump inherited a roaring economy from the Obama administration. Biden took office as the pandemic was getting significantly worse. But those Republican talking points were also mirrored by the media. Here, Aaron Fritshner did some excellent documenting of the media’s response to the Trump and Biden numbers. For example, for those same numbers, the Associated Press calls it "resilience" under Trump but "struggling" with Biden:
— Aaron Fritschner (@Fritschner) January 7, 2022
Additionally, for the Wall Street Journal, hiring was "a level rarely reached" under Trump while hiring "slowed" under Biden. Similarly for the Times:
🧐🧐🧐 pic.twitter.com/le1O40Cqmw
— Aaron Fritschner (@Fritschner) January 7, 2022
Okay, we can expect this from Capito. But why are our media sources simply repeating the Republican talking points?
