CNN was forced to concede Friday that the April jobs report, under President Donald Trump’s leadership, came in stronger than expected.
This concession came as CNN and other outlets have been reporting that Trump’s tariff policies are leading the U.S. economy into a crisis.
CNN business correspondent Matt Egan responded to Friday’s jobs numbers, saying, “We were bracing for a slowdown in the jobs market. We did not get that. We got steady hiring. This jobs market is just relentless.”
The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that 177,000 jobs were added in April, while the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.2 percent.
Egan noted that figure easily topped the 135,000 economists had expected.
The reporter further pointed out it was just slightly off the 185,000 jobs created in March.
“So you can see that there really isn’t all that much of a change here, and these are still very solid numbers,” Egan said.
“One place where we saw a loss of jobs again was the federal government, as the DOGE [Department of Government Efficiency] cuts to the workforce continue,” he added.
CNN’s Matt Egan on 177,000 jobs created in April:
“We were bracing for a slowdown in the job market. We did not get that. We got steady hiring. This job market is just relentless.” pic.twitter.com/uxZ0hkU37y
— Scott Morefield (@SKMorefield) May 2, 2025
Egan offered a caveat to his positive reporting, saying, “This does not mean the economy is out of the woods. It does not take off the risk of a recession.”
He argued that it will depend on what happens with Trump’s tariff policies.
Meanwhile, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer told CNN’s Pamela Brown on Friday, “We see no reason that a recession is anywhere near.”
“We see no reason that a recession is anywhere near”: @USDOL Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer on how she sees the economy after April’s stronger-than-expected jobs report. pic.twitter.com/S4Nyj1WtlZ
— Pamela Brown (@PamelaBrownCNN) May 2, 2025
CNN’s written coverage framed it as happening despite Trump’s tariff policies.
“America’s long-resilient job market continues to defy expectations — even in the wake of swirling uncertainty,” the outlet said.
“We can push recession concerns to another month,” Seema Shah, chief global strategist at Principal Asset Management, said in commentary issued Friday and quoted by CNN. “Job numbers remain very strong, suggesting there was an impressive degree of resilience in the economy in play before the tariff shock.”
Heritage Foundation economist Stephen Moore highlighted on Fox Business just how strong the numbers are, citing a different statistic, also reported by the BLS.
“436,000 increase in the number of people who are employed. So, this is an amazing report… The labor force participation rate rose. So, this is a very strong number,” he said.
Moore was referencing the jump in the total number of people employed by the U.S. economy overall, increasing from approximately 163.5 million in March to just over 163.9 million in April. The figure is calculated differently from the new jobs added report.
.@StephenMoore reacts to the jobs report: “436,000 increase in the number of people who are employed. So, this is an amazing report… The labor force participation rate rose. So, this is a very strong number.” pic.twitter.com/CuAPwD52Yn
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 2, 2025
The president posted the economist’s comments on Truth Social.
He also wrote in another post, “groceries (and eggs!) down, energy down, mortgage rates down, employment strong, and much more good news, as Billions of Dollars pour in from Tariffs.”
Gasoline just broke $1.98 a Gallon, lowest in years, groceries (and eggs!) down, energy down, mortgage rates down, employment strong, and much more good news, as Billions of Dollars pour in from Tariffs. Just like I said, and we’re only in a TRANSITION STAGE, just getting…
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) May 2, 2025
“Just like I said, and we’re only in a TRANSITION STAGE, just getting started!!!” Trump continued. “Consumers have been waiting for years to see pricing come down. NO INFLATION, THE FED SHOULD LOWER ITS RATE!!!”
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