Donald Trump’s pledge that he would deliver a booming economy to Americans is being undermined by a stalling labour market, in a warning sign for his party’s prospects at next year’s congressional elections.
Until recently, the US president could argue that his disruptive policy moves — from sweeping import tariffs to an aggressive immigration crackdown — had defied critics with resilient job creation and inflation relatively stable.
But Friday’s figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed jobs growth has been grinding to a halt — US employers created just 22,000 positions in August after a weak summer — puncturing confidence that Trump’s economy will remain unscathed.