President Donald Trump declared a "manufacturing boom" after the first full jobs report of his second term.
The Labor Department reported 151,000 new jobs in February, falling short of the 160,000 expected. But manufacturing exceeded predictions, adding 10,000 jobs instead of the projected 5,000.
"During the last year, the Biden administration lost more than 110,000 manufacturing jobs. That’s 9,000 every single month," Trump said. "In our first full month, we’ve stopped the collapse and turned it around. We added 10,000 manufacturing jobs in February alone. That hasn’t happened in a long time."
Trump pointed to industry reports as proof. "The ISM and S&P Manufacturing Surveys confirm we’re seeing a brand-new domestic manufacturing boom after a major collapse under Biden."
He predicted a "fantastic" labor market but stressed it would focus on manufacturing, not government jobs.
"We had too many government employees," Trump said. "You can’t just do that. For 40 years, it’s only gotten worse. They keep hiring more and more people."
Federal government employment dropped by 10,000 in February as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, began job cuts.
Trump slammed past trade policies. "Since NAFTA, 90,000 plants and factories have closed. Think of that. Many were car plants. That’s a terrible statistic. We’re turning it around."
He claimed new factories are already in progress. "Some plants meant for other countries have stopped and are moving here because of tariffs. That’s what you want to hear."
Trump also warned Canada about its tariffs on U.S. dairy and lumber. He threatened a matching 250% tariff if Canada doesn’t lower theirs.
"They’ll face the exact same tariff unless they drop it," he said. "We may do it today or wait until Monday or Tuesday. But it’s happening. It’s never been fair. They’ve treated our farmers badly."