Trump tries – President Donald Trump urged investors to look past a sharp Friday selloff, pointing to a May jobs report that beat expectations. But the S&P 500 fell 2.6% and the Nasdaq dropped 4.2%, and stocks slid further after his posts failed to reverse the downturn.
For a Friday marked by red screens and faster-than-usual sell orders, President Donald Trump tried to seize the moment with a message meant for the market’s nerves.
Stocks had already hit a wall. The S&P 500 posted its worst day of the year, falling 2.6%, while the Nasdaq suffered a 4.2% drop—the worst day of the year for that index too. The punishment landed even after the U.S. economy delivered a May jobs report that beat expectations.
The government said the U.S. added 172,000 jobs in May, topping economists’ projections of 85,000. The unemployment rate held at 4.3%. In Trump’s view. those numbers should have steadied investors: “With a great Jobs Report. like just announced. stocks should go up. not down. ” Trump wrote on Truth Social. He added, “That’s the way it was for 200 years. Growth does not mean inflation!. How else can a Country attain GREATNESS???. President DJT.”.
It wasn’t the calming effect Trump was looking for. The stock slide not only continued—about four hours after markets closed, Trump returned to his social media platform and declared, “IT’s RAINING JOBS.”
In a longer post, Trump framed the May employment gains as proof that economic strength was being underestimated and misread. He argued that “over 172. 000 AMERICANS found Jobs in the month of May alone. ” and claimed that “100 PERCENT of Bloomberg Economists” underestimated the economy. He also contrasted the jobs numbers with what he described as “phony California Election results. ” and referenced the “PASS THE SAVE AMERICA ACT!” message. In the same post. he described the month as especially strong—“in both April AND May. IT’S RAINING JOBS!”—calling it the “HOTTEST” country in the world and signing “President DONALD J. TRUMP.”.
The selloff, however, was already moving on its own logic. Friday’s decline was led by slides in semiconductor and AI companies.
And even as Trump pointed to hiring data, other worries were crowding into the background. In May, consumer sentiment fell for the third straight month. Americans, the report reflected, continued to worry about inflation amid the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz and Trump’s tariffs.
That mix—strong payroll growth on paper, and a market that kept punishing risk-heavy sectors—helped explain why the president’s reassurance didn’t stop the damage. The numbers he cited were meant to steady investors; the day’s trading patterns suggested investors were fixated on something else.
Donald Trump Truth Social jobs report S&P 500 Nasdaq semiconductor stocks AI stocks unemployment rate consumer sentiment tariffs Strait of Hormuz U.S. markets
So he said “raining jobs” and the market still tanked… ok
Maybe the jobs report is fake or like one of those numbers they tweak, because why would stocks drop if jobs are up? Seems backwards. Also Truth Social posts don’t move the economy, sorry.
I don’t get it. If we added 172k jobs then inflation should go down right? But they’re talking about inflation worries and tariffs and the Strait of Hormuz like… that’s a whole different thing. Markets probably just needed an excuse to dump tech again.
He’s like “with a great jobs report stocks should go up” but then he keeps posting like it’ll magically reverse the candles lol. Also “PASS THE SAVE AMERICA ACT”?? Isn’t that the whole thing people are mad about? Maybe the semiconductors are dropping because of the unemployment rate not the jobs number… idk I’m not an economist.