By a Staff Writer
If you listened to former President Donald Trump on the campaign trail or in his social media posts, you would believe his term ushered in an economic utopia for American workers. The promises were bold: a “manufacturing boom,” a blue-collar renaissance, and the “best and strongest numbers” in economic history. There was just one problem: the data from his own time in office told a very different story.
Despite the constant stream of boasts, a deep dive into the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data reveals a job market that was not only cooling but, in key sectors promised a revival, was actively contracting. While Trump frequently blamed “rigged” data or “Biden holdovers” for any negative news, the reality of his economic record was far more complicated—and for the working class, far more precarious .
The “Rigged” Numbers That Weren’t
Perhaps the most telling sign of the administration’s anxiety about the jobs report was its reaction to it. When July 2025 numbers showed a significant slowdown—with job growth revised down by hundreds of thousands—Trump didn’t just dispute the data; he fired the messenger. The President fired the Commissioner of Labor Statistics, Erika McEntarfer, a career economist, accusing her without evidence of manipulating the figures for political gain .
This act was widely condemned by economists across the political spectrum. William Beach, a Trump-appointed BLS commissioner from his first term, called the firing damaging and baseless, noting the numbers are “locked into the computer system” long before a commissioner sees them . The move was seen by critics as an attempt to discredit reality when the reality became too difficult to spin . As one former Treasury Secretary put it, the claim of manipulation was preposterous .
The Manufacturing “Boom” That Went Bust
At the heart of Trump’s economic pitch was the promise to bring back manufacturing jobs. He vowed that his tariff policies would force companies to reshore production and ignite a blue-collar jobs boom . Yet, this was the promise that most dramatically collided with reality.
· The Numbers: During the first year of his term, the manufacturing sector didn’t boom; it bled. An analysis by the Joint Economic Committee found that manufacturing lost a staggering 108,000 jobs . Other data sources confirmed this trend, showing the sector shedding jobs for seven consecutive months . By December 2025, factory employment had dropped to its lowest point since March 2022 .
· The Cause: Economists pointed directly at the administration’s chaotic trade policies. While designed to protect American industry, the sweeping tariffs on steel, aluminum, and other inputs backfired in the short term. They raised costs for domestic manufacturers, created deep uncertainty that froze investment plans, and pushed firms to cut labor rather than expand it . As one economist noted, “When input costs go up, one of the easiest things to do is to cut labor” . Small and medium-sized businesses, the backbone of the manufacturing supply chain, canceled domestic investment plans due to the whiplash of constantly changing tariff threats .
A Breakdown by Sector: A Tale of Two Economies
While manufacturing floundered, the overall jobs picture became deeply uneven. The “boom” was concentrated in a few specific areas, leaving other sectors—and the workers in them—behind.
🏭 Manufacturing: The Great Contradiction
· Status: Major Decline
· Analysis: The sector bled jobs consistently, with losses accelerating after the implementation of “Liberation Day” tariffs . The promise of a blue-collar revival turned into a bust, with employment hitting multi-year lows .
🏗️ Construction: A Rare Bright Spot
· Status: Moderate Growth
· Analysis: One of the few blue-collar sectors to show resilience, construction added jobs consistently . However, even this sector faced headwinds, as tariffs on raw materials drove up the cost of building homes, contributing to affordability crises rather than solving them .
🚚 Transportation and Warehousing: In Reverse
· Status: Major Decline
· Analysis: This industry, a bellwether for the health of the consumer economy and supply chain, cut jobs for three consecutive months, averaging significant losses . The slowdown signaled weakening demand and a pullback in economic activity.
🏬 Retail: Squeezed by Policy
· Status: Moderate Decline / Stagnation
· Analysis: “Main Street” businesses were hit hard by tariff uncertainty. Many small businesses and entrepreneurs who make physical products saw their margins evaporate, forcing them to hike prices or halt expansion . While the sector saw some nominal growth, consumer sentiment plummeted, and spending became increasingly driven only by the wealthy .
🏥 Healthcare and Social Assistance: The Lone Engine
· Status: Massive Growth
· Analysis: This was the undisputed king of job creation. The sector added hundreds of thousands of jobs, effectively propping up the entire jobs report . If you excluded healthcare, the overall employment picture for 2025 would have shown a net decline . Driven by an aging population, this growth had little to do with the administration’s policies and everything to do with long-term demographic trends.
💻 AI and Tech: The Wall Street Boom
· Status: Massive Growth
· Analysis: While blue-collar workers struggled, Wall Street celebrated. The AI industry saw stocks soar, with Trump promoting massive infrastructure projects like “Stargate” . However, this boom was a double-edged sword, as the rise of automation and AI also began displacing workers in other sectors, contributing to a “low-hire, low-fire” environment where companies used technology to avoid adding headcount .
Conclusion: The Numbers Don’t Lie
Donald Trump promised to be the champion of the working class, to bring back manufacturing, and to ignite a jobs boom. The data from his term shows a different reality: manufacturing jobs vanished, the overall job market was the weakest in decades outside of a recession, and the entire economy was propped up by a single sector .
When the numbers didn’t match the narrative, the administration didn’t change the narrative; it attacked the numbers and fired the people who produced them . In the end, the “Trump economic miracle” was less a golden age and more a statistical mirage—one that looked real from a distance but evaporated upon close inspection.