California Governor Gavin Newsom called out President Donald Trump and his economic policies, blaming them for “crashing our economy” following the release of the July jobs report on Friday.
Newsweek has reached out to Newsom’s press team and the Bureau of Labor Statistics for comment via email on Friday.
Why It Matters
The latest jobs report showed that the U.S. labor market has slowed over the past few months, with unemployment inching upward and prior job gains revised to be weaker than expected. U.S. employers added 73,000 jobs in July, far fewer than expected, while unemployment moved to 4.2 percent from 4.1 percent.
Throughout both of his campaigns and presidencies, Trump has positioned himself as a dealmaker and economic steward who could “bring back jobs,” lower costs and “Make America Great Again.” Trump has pledged that his economic platform, which includes broad tariffs, tax breaks and expanded U.S. manufacturing, will help boost the nation’s economy.
Newsom and Trump have clashed, with tensions having risen over the federal deployment of the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles during immigration protests.
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AP Photo/Meg Kinnard/ (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
What To Know
Newsom said the July jobs report was “way below expectations,” in a Friday X post, adding that “May and June revised down as well.” The Bureau of Labor Statistics wrote on Friday that “Revisions for May and June were larger than normal,” adding that “With these revisions, employment in May and June combined is 258,000 lower than previously reported.”
A July jobs report way below expectations.
May and June revised down as well.
Unemployment rate ticked back up to 4.2%.
We haven’t seen conditions like these since 2020.
Don’t let Donald Trump gaslight you. He is failing Americans and crashing our economy. pic.twitter.com/niJs2h0tyu
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) August 1, 2025
The May and June job gains were sharply downgraded: 19,000 jobs were added in May, well below the roughly 139,000 originally reported, and only 14,000 in June, about 133,000 fewer than expected.
Newsom said: “We haven’t seen conditions like these since 2020. Don’t let Donald Trump gaslight you. He is failing Americans and crashing our economy.”
Other Democratic leaders, like Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, said in a Friday X post: “Companies don’t want to create jobs in Trump’s chaos economy with weakening rule of law and rampant corruption.”
Trump’s first six months in office have been marked by a cycle of announcing, imposing, pausing and reimposing tariffs, a trade strategy that at times has unsettled global and U.S. markets.
What People Are Saying
Alex Jacquez, a former special assistant to the president for economic development and industrial strategy, told Newsweek that Friday’s jobs report “confirms that Trump’s policies have been weighing down the economy….Big downward revisions for May and June show that Trump’s chaotic trade policies likely impacted the labor market more than we thought earlier in the year, halting a strong jobs market. Stripping out the health care sector, the U.S. has lost jobs in each of the last three months.”
Michael Negron, senior fellow for economic opportunity at the Center for American Progress and former special assistant to the president for economic policy, told Newsweek that the “disappointing jobs numbers are the latest sign, after recent data releases showing an uptick in inflation, decline in business investment, and slowdown in consumer spending, that the economy is starting to buckle under the weight of President Trump’s tariff strategy.”
President Donald Trump, in a Truth Social post on Friday: “I was just informed that our Country’s “Jobs Numbers” are being produced by a Biden Appointee, Dr. Erika McEntarfer, the Commissioner of Labor Statistics, who faked the Jobs Numbers before the Election to try and boost Kamala’s chances of Victory. This is the same Bureau of Labor Statistics that overstated the Jobs Growth in March 2024 by approximately 818,000 and, then again, right before the 2024 Presidential Election, in August and September, by 112,000. These were Records — No one can be that wrong? We need accurate Jobs Numbers. I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY.”
Pete Buttigieg, Biden’s transportation secretary, on X: “Today’s jobs report shows 24,000 factory jobs lost in the past three months. Trump’s first term brought a manufacturing recession. Now his reckless tariffs are making Americans worse off, again.”
The X account Republicans Against Trump: “U.S. added just 73,000 jobs in July, well below expectations. Unemployment rose to 4.2%. So much for the ‘golden age.'”
What Happens Next
Trump has called for the immediate termination of the commissioner of labor statistics following the report. August’s report is scheduled to be released on September 5.
