President Donald Trump’s top security adviser, Kevin Hassett, attempted to put an optimistic spin on a Labor Department report that found the number of layoffs across the United States was the highest in two years, along with continued uncertainty about the economy.

Hassett, who chairs the White House National Economic Council, appeared Tuesday on News’ “The Ingraham Angle,” where he suggested the report’s numbers looked bleaker than reality because of “a problem with the way polls work” as well as this fall’s unprecedented government shutdown.

“We still have to get the government data that we lost due to the shutdown,” he said. “One of the things we’re seeing is payroll surveys, where they call companies and say, ‘Hey, how many people work for you?’ which are showing much lower growth than household surveys in which we ask people, ‘Do you have a job?’”

Kevin Hassett of the National Economic Council (R) is widely said to be President Donald Trump's top choice for the next chairman of the Federal Reserve.
Kevin Hassett of the National Economic Council (R) is widely said to be President Donald Trump’s top choice for the next chairman of the Federal Reserve.

Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images

“And so it could be that what’s happening now is that there’s a problem with the way the polls work,” he continued. “I’ll be able to talk to you in about a week, when we finally have the data we need to evaluate it. But the bottom line is that GDP growth is 4% right now and accelerating into next year with all the capital spending we’re seeing, and never in my memory since World War II… has there been growth this high without job creation.”

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, released by the Department of Labor on Tuesday, found that the number of layoffs across the United States rose to 1.9 million, the highest number since January 2023, in October. Although the number of job vacancies rose slightly from 7.66 to 7.67 million, the report also found a significant drop in the number of people leaving their jobs, which is often cited as a barometer of confidence in the labor market.

Hassett, who as of 2024 had assets worth at least $7.6 million, according to Bloomberg, is widely reported to be Trump’s top choice for the next chairman of the Federal Reserve.

Elsewhere in his talk with Ingraham, Hassett attempted to place most of the blame for the current economic concerns on Democrats and especially former President Joe Biden.

“The fact is that Joe Biden dug a big hole and we are filling it very quickly,” he said. “So what will happen is that people will look into their wallets and understand how good Trump has been for the economy, as he also did in 2019.”

As for “liberal media” headlines indicating that voters have lost confidence in Trump’s handling of the economy, he noted: “That’s because of the Democratic shutdown.”