Employers may have added just 73,000 jobs in the month of July, according to the latest Labor Department jobs report published Friday. But that same survey found that the number of native-born workers with jobs rose by 383,000, bringing the total number of native-born jobs gained to over 2 million since President Donald Trump took office. All this while real wages and household income are rising too. The Trump economy is delivering for American workers.
The overall economy rebounded in the last three months, growing at an annual rate of 3% after slowing the previous three months, thanks to uncertainty caused by Trump’s fluctuating tariff policies. Many economists predicted that Trump’s tariffs would cause inflation and even a recession. Those predictions have been proven wrong. Inflation is falling under Trump while the economy is growing, albeit at a measured pace.
But not everyone inside the country is benefiting from the economy equally. Trump’s successful mass deportation efforts can be seen right in the Labor Department data. According to the latest jobs report, the number of foreign-born workers in the workforce fell by more than 400,000 in July, bringing the total number of foreign workers who have left the workforce to over 1 million. That trend matches separate numbers compiled by the Center for Immigration Studies. Census Bureau data show that the number of illegal immigrants in the country has also fallen by 1 million since Trump took office. It is impossible to tell whether they were deported by the Department of Homeland Security or self-deported.
On native-born workers, the contrast between the Trump economy and former President Joe Biden’s economy is stark. Under Biden, after the economy matched its pre-COVID-19 employment levels in July 2022, the economy added 3.3 million jobs over the next 2 1/2 years. But 3.1 million of those jobs went to foreign-born workers. Native-born workers gained just 189,000 jobs over that same time period. But in just seven months of the Trump economy, native born workers have gained over 2 million jobs.
The Biden economy was great for foreigners. The Trump economy is great for Americans.
And it is only going to get better.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed on July 4, may not take effect until Oct. 1, but by making many of the tax provisions, including full expensing for business investment, retroactive to the beginning of the year, we are already seeing the legislation work. Capital expenditures, the spending businesses invest in fixed assets, were up nearly 17% in the first six months of the year, and that number will at least hold steady, and possibly rise, as more companies take advantage of the new Trump tax cuts.
Consumer sentiment is up, housing starts and permits are rising, even while sales of existing homes fall thanks to high interest rates, while both personal income and personal savings rates are rising. These numbers could be improved, especially the home sales numbers, if the Federal Reserve lowered interest rates, making it easier for everyone to afford a home.
DEMOCRATS NEED TO BE MORE THAN ANTI-TRUMP
The top-line numbers may not be obviously impressive. A mere 73,000 jobs gained in July and the unemployment rate ticking up to 4.2% don’t sound like a booming economy. But those numbers don’t capture the underlying churn taking place. Instead of an economy dependent on a mass influx of illegal immigrant labor, Trump is building an economy where native-born workers get the jobs they deserve at wages that can support a family.
Biden allowed approximately 5.6 million illegal immigrants to enter the country during his four years in office. Removing them was always going to have an economic impact. Overall, that has meant slower job growth as illegal immigrants leave the workforce, but it has also meant booming job growth and higher wages for American workers. This is what people voted for last year.