Trump has said that the US economy has added over half a million private sector jobs

The White House has launched a campaign highlighting economic progress during President Donald Trump’s first six months, describing the period as “America’s golden age.” Economic data released Friday, however, shows a mixed picture. The U.S. economy added 73,000 jobs in the most recent month, compared with forecasts of 115,000. Most of the gains came from healthcare, which added 55,000 positions, and social services, which added 18,000. At the same time, employers announced more than 62,000 job cuts in July, an increase from June and higher than the same period last year, with government, technology, and retail seeing the largest reductions.

The Labor Department also revised earlier job reports. June’s initially reported 147,000 new jobs was reduced to 14,000, while May’s figure was lowered from 144,000 to 19,000. The revisions followed months in which the administration had pointed to job growth as exceeding expectations. President Trump later removed the head of the agency responsible for the data, alleging the numbers were not accurate.

Job openings have also declined, falling from 7.7 million to 7.4 million, according to the latest survey. Growth has been concentrated in sectors such as government and healthcare, while manufacturing, construction, and wholesale trade showed little change. Leisure and hospitality posted weaker-than-usual summer hiring, reflecting reduced travel demand.

Administration officials have emphasized that native-born Americans account for job gains since January, though that framing excludes naturalized citizens and other legally employed foreign workers.