Overview
- President Trump and aides have repeatedly asserted that 100 percent of recent net job creation went to U.S.-born workers, citing figures that also claim millions of native-born gains and large losses for immigrants.
- Economist Jed Kolko finds roughly 1.2 million of the purported native-born job gains reflect a January 2025 population adjustment rather than real employment growth.
- Experts explain that when fewer foreign-born respondents show up in the survey, census population controls mechanically push the native-born counts higher, distorting simple comparisons.
- Labor-market indicators point to weakening conditions, with the native-born unemployment rate rising to 4.3 percent from 3.9 percent a year earlier as overall job growth slows.
- The White House defends its message even as economists cite an immigration slowdown, including about 579,000 deportations in 2025, and note that delayed BLS reports limit timely verification until Jan. 7.