Spicer: Latest Jobs Report Reflects ‘Confidence’ That Trump Has Inspired

White House press secretary Sean Spicer speaks during the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, Friday, Feb. 3, 2017. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
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White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer on Friday suggested President Donald Trump “inspired” the job growth shown in the January jobs report, even though Trump was only sworn into office on Jan. 20.

“Today’s report reflects the consumer confidence that the Trump presidency has inspired,” Spicer told reporters at the daily press briefing.

The economy added 227,000 jobs in January and the unemployment rate rose slightly to 4.8 percent. Trump himself said that the jobs report shows the “great spirit in the country right now.”

A reporter later asked Spicer how many of the new jobs he attributes to Trump. The press secretary mentioned the “confidence index” and noted that Trump has made deals with companies like Carrier to keep jobs in the United States.

But Spicer said that the White House does not “have that kind of a breakdown” that would determine how many new jobs were created by Trump, and said he was “not ready to start parsing” the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ report.

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