On Day 135, Biden bragged on a lackluster jobs report while his press secretary bantered with a coterie of “internet stars.”
On Jobs Day, Labor Lags Far Behind.
President Joe Biden continued using an economic situation distorted by the pandemic to paint a picture of dynamic job creation under his leadership. In remarks following the release of the May jobs report, Biden declared that his economic record surpasses both former president Donald Trump and the late President Ronald Reagan.
The May report came in below expectations with 559,000 jobs added to the U.S. economy last month, against expectations of around 650,000. The 5.8 percent unemployment rate clocks in as the lowest since the pandemic shutdown. Due in part to boosted unemployment benefits, workers desiring long-term remote work, and problems obtaining childcare, businesses are still struggling to hire.
Nevertheless, “We have now created over 2 million jobs in total since I took office—more jobs than have ever been created in the first four months of any presidency in modern history, triple the rate of my predecessor, eight times the rate of President Reagan,” Biden proclaimed.
The president lost track at one point of which direction his progress is going, saying, “Look, COVID cases are down, COVID deaths are up.”
Little-Known “Internet Stars” Get A Press Briefing.
White House press secretary and very serious person Jen Psaki, fresh off a photoshoot with celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz, met virtually with a group of F-list, millennial-aged influencers loosely termed “internet stars” for “the first-ever social media briefing.” (The Trump White House hosted a full-blown social media summit aimed at promoting free speech online, but the event was widely disparaged.) Even Refinery29, a liberal lifestyle magazine, couldn’t identify everyone pictured in the digital collage of “stars,” which included wellness entrepreneurs, woke “comedians”, home designers, TikTokers, and others.
Happening soon: Jen Psaki is meeting with internet stars for the first-ever social media briefing. Tune in here or on https://t.co/bZzjPZkF4G at 3:30 PM ET this afternoon! pic.twitter.com/2LJYrVDUxm
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 4, 2021
Among questions about poverty reduction, immigration, and making life better for teachers, Psaki and the internet stars bantered about Lady Gaga, how to get kids to quit asking for expensive toys (a strange analogy for White House press briefings), capes, and spirit animals.
It certainly should intrigue the American public to know that the White House press office has this kind of time on its hands.
