KJP Blames “Noisy Data” as Black Employment Falls 635,000 in Three Months; Dodges on China, Threads, and Climate

On July 7, 2023, the White House press briefing covered an unusually wide range of topics, with Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre struggling to provide substantive answers on nearly all of them. The most consequential exchange involved a reporter confronting KJP with data showing that total Black employment had fallen for three consecutive months — the worst non-pandemic stretch on record — while the administration continued to promote “Bidenomics” as an economic success story.

Black Employment: “Noisy Data”

The briefing’s most pointed exchange came when a reporter presented KJP with a stark economic reality that cut against the administration’s narrative.

“Total Black employment is down three straight months now with 635,000 jobs lost in that spell, which is the most ever in a three-month stretch outside of the pandemic,” the reporter said. “Is that a setback for the administration, and do you have a comment?”

KJP’s response was to dismiss the numbers as unreliable: “Look, this data, certainly, particularly, is volatile. And that is something that we understand. So, it’s most useful to measure in a quarterly basis, over three months, instead of one to smooth out noise — right? — because there is — this one is a little bit more noisy.”

The reporter noted that the figures were already quarterly: “Are these numbers a cause for concern, or are you looking at it as a blip — because these are quarterly numbers.”

KJP appeared caught off guard by the observation that the data she was describing as needing to be viewed over three months was itself a three-month trend. She repeated her talking point: “So, what I have said was this data is particularly volatile. So, we have to make sure that we look at it more holistically, because it’s a volatile data.”

The response revealed a pattern: when economic data supported the “Bidenomics” narrative, the White House cited specific numbers. When the data contradicted the narrative, it became “noisy” and “volatile” and needed to be viewed “holistically.” KJP did not explain why the same methodology that produced record-low Black unemployment figures the White House had celebrated was now unreliable when it showed a historic decline.

”Lower Costs” and Bidenomics

Despite the troubling employment data, KJP continued to promote Bidenomics, describing Biden’s upcoming event: “Like not later today, but in just like 30 minutes or so — to deliver on his promise to cut costs for families. That is really a big part of what Bidenomics is: to make sure that we’re lowering costs for American families and also that we have an economy that works for everyone.”

The claim about “lowering costs” stood in contrast to the inflation data available at the time, which showed that consumer prices had risen significantly since Biden took office. While the rate of inflation had slowed from its 2022 peak, prices themselves remained elevated, and American families were paying more for groceries, housing, and energy than they had before Biden’s presidency.

The Threads Question

In a lighter moment, a reporter asked whether the White House planned to join Threads, Meta’s newly launched Twitter competitor.

“And then, on a lighter note, does the White House have any plans to join Threads?” the reporter asked, drawing laughter from the room.

KJP’s response suggested she was unfamiliar with the platform: “I’m sorry. I was like, ‘Oh, where is this going?’”

After the reporter repeated the question, KJP said: “Oh, Threads. I don’t have anything to preview on that for you. I need to — I’m — I’m curious about it as well.”

The exchange was notable primarily because the White House — which had built an extensive social media presence and had just been rebuked by a federal court for its coordination with social media platforms — appeared unprepared for a question about the most-discussed new social media launch of the year.

China: “Intense Competition Requires Intense Diplomacy”

A reporter pressed KJP on the apparent contradiction between Secretary Yellen’s call for China to “play by a fair set of rules” and China’s ongoing behavior.

“How can the White House make a country that engages in IP theft, forced labor, hacking to play by a fair set of rules?” the reporter asked.

KJP offered a series of generalities: “China is going to continue to be around and be a major player on the world stage. So it is important to have intense competition, requires intense diplomacy. That’s what you see Secretary Yellen do. That’s what you saw Secretary Blinken do.”

The response did not address the reporter’s specific question about how diplomacy would change the behavior of a country that was actively engaged in intellectual property theft, forced labor, and cyberattacks. KJP’s framing — that China would “continue to be around” — stated the obvious without explaining what the administration’s diplomatic engagement was actually achieving.

Climate Change and the Inflation Reduction Act

KJP also used the briefing to connect extreme weather events to Republican opposition to the Inflation Reduction Act.

“Clearly, these extreme weather patterns are alarming,” KJP said. “But for years now, Republican lawmakers have continued to deny the very existence of climate change that we can now all witness with our very own eyes. So, they’ve repeatedly tried to repeal the biggest climate protection bill in history.”

She continued: “By them trying to repeal this is — it is stunning, it is absurd, and it is dangerous — just by what we have seen these past couple of days.”

Sullivan Previews UK Trip

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan also appeared briefly, previewing Biden’s upcoming trip to the United Kingdom: “The President will travel to the United Kingdom. While in London, he will meet with King Charles at Windsor Castle and engage with a forum that will focus on mobilizing climate finance, especially bringing private finance off the sidelines, for clean energy deployment.”

Key Takeaways

• A reporter confronted KJP with data showing 635,000 Black jobs lost over three months — the worst non-pandemic stretch on record — and KJP dismissed the numbers as “noisy” and “volatile” while continuing to promote Bidenomics.
• When the reporter pointed out the data was already measured over three months, contradicting KJP’s suggestion to view it quarterly, she simply repeated that the data was “volatile.”
• KJP appeared unfamiliar with Threads, Meta’s new social media platform, when asked whether the White House planned to join.
• On China, KJP offered only generalities about “intense diplomacy” without addressing how that diplomacy would curb IP theft, forced labor, or hacking.
• KJP called Republican efforts to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act “stunning, absurd, and dangerous” in connection with extreme weather events.