Breaking: Trump Economy Notches Win as US Jobless Numbers Plummet to Half-Century Low Last Seen in 1969
Unemployment claims in the U.S. remain at historic lows, with numbers last seen in 1969, when the country’s population was over 140 million less.
The news is just the latest proof that President Donald Trump and the Republicans have the country on the right economic course, and Americans should reject the Democrats’ big-government proposals at the ballot box in November.
The Department of Labor reported Thursday that initial claims came in at 197,000 for the week ending Sept. 26, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week. The four-week average fell to 200,000, down from 202,500.
The last time the U.S. saw numbers like this was 57 years ago, Axios noted in July, when jobless claims came in at 187,000, matching a low not seen since September 1969.
“The labor force was much smaller then, too, so relative to the number of workers, this is easily the lowest number of jobless claims on record,” Axios highlighted.
US jobless claims fall to lowest level in more than 55 yearshttps://t.co/OpmJGpMddn
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) October 1, 2026
The White House shared a CoStar article on social media Thursday, which noted, “Unemployment claims are a proxy for layoffs, and economists track them closely as a potential sign of the health of the job market and the broader economy. So far this year, claims have remained at historically low levels despite elevated energy prices and larger economic concerns.”
The unemployment rate remains at a low 4.1 percent, with 162,000 jobs added in August, three times what economists were forecasting.
Speaking to reporters Thursday in Texas, Trump said, “We have to get the message [out], because we have the best numbers [economically] of any president in history.”
He cited the historically lowest poverty numbers and record highs over 80 times in the stock market during his second term, which means Americans’ 401K retirement accounts are also at record highs, according to Fox Business.
.@POTUS: “We have the best numbers of any President in history… We don’t get a fair shake from the media.” pic.twitter.com/CFpaP5eCnI
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) October 1, 2026
The Census Bureau reported last month that the poverty rate fell to 10.2 percent in 2025, the lowest ever recorded, while the real median household income rose 2.6 percent to $87,460, the highest level, adjusted for inflation since 1967.
Larry Kudlow, who was Trump’s top White House economic adviser during his first term, and Heritage Foundation economist Stephen Moore argued in a Wednesday New York Post opinion piece that Republicans can win on the “affordability” issue, which Democrats are making front-and-center going into the midterm elections.
“What a paradox: Almost all US economic indicators are strong today, and America’s economy is the envy of the world — yet consumers, stressed by gas prices at almost $4.50 a gallon, are in a bad mood,” they wrote.
“Trump’s affordability track record is outstanding. In his first term, real median household income rose by $6,600 — and only the COVID lockdowns of 2020 kept that from becoming a nearly $8,000 median ‘dividend’ per family,” Kudlow and Moore continued.
“Compare that to Biden, who oversaw a paltry $500 gain in median family income during his four years in the White House. So far, through the first year and a half of Trump’s second term, real median income is up an additional $2,000 — that’s above inflation.”
Another week, another round of ultra-low UI numbers w/ initial claims at just 197k and continuing claims at just 1.7 million: pic.twitter.com/DJGmowDaJx
— E.J. Antoni, Ph.D. (@RealEJAntoni) October 1, 2026
Additionally, the 2024 Trump tax cuts — like no tax on tips, overtime, or Social Security — add at least $2,000 more to middle-class incomes, the economists said. The Democrats unanimously opposed those cuts when they voted against the Big Beautiful Bill.
Further, they noted that about 80 percent of the price hikes seen since Trump left office in January 2021 after his first term came during the Biden years, when inflation rose more than it did during any presidential administration since Jimmy Carter’s in the late 1970s.
Kudlow and Moore concluded, “Republicans, don’t run away from the Trump economic miracle: Celebrate the fact that America is leading the world, thanks to our strategy of successful tax cuts, deregulation and energy dominance.”
If the Democrats retake control of Congress, they will seek to reinstitute the same federal spending, tax, and energy policies that got the U.S. economy in trouble in the first place, sparking a 40-year high in inflation.
Americans should keep riding the Trump/Republican economic horse; it is taking the country back into unprecedented prosperity.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
