White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has been falsely attributed a statement comparing unemployment rates under President Trump to those under President Biden. The quote, which claims an unemployment rate of 4.3% under Trump and 3.4% under Biden, has circulated online, particularly on social media platforms like X and Instagram.
Upon investigation, there is no evidence that Leavitt actually made this specific statement. Archives of her press briefings and media appearances do not contain this comparison. Searches of news archives on Google, Bing, and DuckDuckGo also failed to find any reliable media reports of her making these remarks. If such a statement had been made, it would likely have received wider media coverage.
The origin of this misattributed quote is uncertain, but it began to gain traction around June 24. It’s possible the creator intended it as satire, as a lower unemployment rate is generally viewed as a positive economic indicator.
While this particular quote appears to be fabricated, Leavitt has made public statements that positively contrast the Trump administration’s economic policies with those of the Biden administration, often citing employment-related data. For instance, in February 2026, she highlighted job growth and participation rates during what she referred to as President Trump’s “second term.”
In other instances, Leavitt has discussed inflation. In December 2025, she claimed that inflation under the Biden administration reached a record high of 9%, while under President Trump, it averaged 2.7%. She also stated that real wages declined under Biden but increased under Trump. In September 2025, she asserted that President Trump inherited a worse economy from the Biden administration than was initially reported.
Regarding actual unemployment figures, The Economist reported the U.S. unemployment rate was 4.3% as of June 26. In December 2024, towards the end of the Biden administration, the rate was 4.1%, and in April 2023, it was 3.4%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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