• Latest
  • Trending
  • All
  • News
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
Biden Gets Number ‘So Wrong’ Twice, Hit With 4 ‘Pinocchios’ After He ‘Stumbled Badly’

Biden Gets Number ‘So Wrong’ Twice, Hit With 4 ‘Pinocchios’ After He ‘Stumbled Badly’

August 18, 2022
JAMES CARTER: Trump Is Laying The Groundwork For America’s Future

JAMES CARTER: Trump Is Laying The Groundwork For America’s Future

May 15, 2025
Iranian Official Says Islamic Republic Open To Giving Up Nuclear Weapons Program For Trump Deal

Iranian Official Says Islamic Republic Open To Giving Up Nuclear Weapons Program For Trump Deal

May 15, 2025
Harvard Begins Funding Itself As University Feels Effects Of Trump Administration Cuts

Harvard Begins Funding Itself As University Feels Effects Of Trump Administration Cuts

May 15, 2025
JD Vance to Lead Delegation to Attend Inaugural Mass of Pope Leo XIV

JD Vance to Lead Delegation to Attend Inaugural Mass of Pope Leo XIV

May 15, 2025
Less Than Half Of Americans Favor DEI Initiatives On College Campuses, Poll Finds

Less Than Half Of Americans Favor DEI Initiatives On College Campuses, Poll Finds

May 15, 2025
Trump Wants to Make Gaza ‘Freedom Zone’

Trump Wants to Make Gaza ‘Freedom Zone’

May 15, 2025
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Rape Accuser Compared Erect Penis to a ‘Tootsie Roll’ In Lawsuit: Report

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Rape Accuser Compared Erect Penis to a ‘Tootsie Roll’ In Lawsuit: Report

May 15, 2025
LOU BARLETTA: Let President Trump Close The Deal

LOU BARLETTA: Let President Trump Close The Deal

May 15, 2025
Waymo Recalls 1,200 Self-Driving Taxis After Collisions With Gates, Road Barriers

Waymo Recalls 1,200 Self-Driving Taxis After Collisions With Gates, Road Barriers

May 14, 2025
Embattled House Dem Drops Trump Impeachment Effort After Backlash From His Own Party

Embattled House Dem Drops Trump Impeachment Effort After Backlash From His Own Party

May 14, 2025
Over 1,000 Starbucks Workers Go on Strike to Protest Dress Code

Over 1,000 Starbucks Workers Go on Strike to Protest Dress Code

May 14, 2025
Newsom Outlines $12 Billion Deficit and Freeze on Health Programs for Illegal Immigrants

Newsom Outlines $12 Billion Deficit and Freeze on Health Programs for Illegal Immigrants

May 14, 2025
  • Donald Trump
  • State of the Union
  • Elon Musk
  • Tariffs
  • Congress
  • Faith
  • Immigration
Thursday, May 15, 2025
  • Login
IJR
  • Politics
  • US News
  • Commentary
  • World News
  • Faith
  • Latest Polls
No Result
View All Result
IJR
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Biden Gets Number ‘So Wrong’ Twice, Hit With 4 ‘Pinocchios’ After He ‘Stumbled Badly’

by Bradley Cortright
August 18, 2022 at 11:36 am
in News
240 12
0
Biden Gets Number ‘So Wrong’ Twice, Hit With 4 ‘Pinocchios’ After He ‘Stumbled Badly’

US President Joe Biden wipes his eyes while speaking during a signing ceremony for the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, at an event on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on August 9, 2022. - The CHIPS and Science Act aims to support domestic semiconductor production, new high-tech jobs and scientific research. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

491
SHARES
1.4k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

President Joe Biden is getting slapped with “four Pinocchios” after he “stumbled” by repeatedly citing a “wildly exaggerated” number estimating the number of construction jobs that would be created over the next six years.

On Aug. 9, the president signed the Chips Act and declared, “There’s an analysis that says investment in the Chips and Science Act will create 1 million — more than 1 million construction jobs alone over the next six years building semiconductor factories in America.”

And two days later, he tweeted, “Investments in the CHIPS and Science Law will create more than 1 million construction jobs alone over the next 6 years building semiconductor factories in America.”

Investments in the CHIPS and Science Law will create more than 1 million construction jobs alone over the next 6 years building semiconductor factories in America.

— President Biden (@POTUS) August 11, 2022

That claim piqued the interest of Glen Kessler, The Washington Post’s fact-checker, who looked into the number.

“We’ve learned from experience that when a president utters a big job-creation number, it’s ripe for fact-checking. So we were curious to learn how the president’s job prediction for the Chips and Science Act — which will provide nearly $53 billion for U.S. semiconductor research, development, manufacturing and workforce development — was developed,” he wrote in an article published Thursday.

Kessler noted that Biden “mentioned an ‘analysis’ as the source for the claim that 1 million construction jobs would be created.”

However, he pointed out that the figure did not appear on the White House “fact sheet” about the bill.

“It turns out this number is wildly exaggerated,” he wrote.

The fact-checker wrote that the “first tip-off” was just the size of the number and that it was around 1 million jobs.

“The second tip-off is that Biden was specific — 1 million construction jobs in six years. Before the pandemic tanked jobs, the U.S. economy took four years to add 1 million construction jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics data — from all industries, not just the semiconductor business,” he added.

And another “tip-off” Kessler notes is that the estimate comes from a report penned by an “industry advocate,” and it would “be unusual for any trade group to issue a report that did not put the best gloss on the industry’s economic contributions.”

However, he explained the fact-checking team was unable to find a reference to the 1 million construction jobs. Rather, the report estimated that the bill would add “an average of 185,000 temporary jobs annually throughout the U.S. economy from 2021 to 2026.”

And it did not specify that the jobs would be construction jobs. Even a spokesperson for the organization told the Post, “The statement about 1 million construction jobs is not accurate.”

Kessler noted that there is “often a temptation for a politician to cite the highest possible job creation for a new policy.”

“But the president stumbled badly here. In public remarks, and then in a tweet, he claimed 1 million construction jobs would be created because of the Chips Act,” he continued. “The real number was just 6,200, according to the industry-commissioned report cited as the source. If you wanted to be generous, you could say the report said 56,000 jobs would be supported by construction. If you wanted to be very generous, you could say 1 million jobs would be supported in the ‘construction phase’ of the law.”

“But that would be overly generous, given that the White House amplified Biden’s statement in a tweet; it was not a simple misspeak,” he added.

Finally, Kessler argued there is “no reason to get the number so wrong — twice,” and the tweet had not been deleted by the time the article was published, nor had the transcript been corrected.

As a result, the Post slapped Biden with “four Pinocchios.”

Tags: Joe Bidenpolitics
Should Biden run for reelection?

Completing this poll entitles you to our news updates free of charge. You may opt out at anytime. You also agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Yes: 14% (2 Votes)
No: 86% (12 Votes)
Share196Tweet123
Bradley Cortright

Bradley Cortright

IJR, Senior Writer He's written for Independent Journal Review since 2019.

Advertisements

Top Stories June 10th
Top Stories June 7th
Top Stories June 6th
Top Stories June 3rd
Top Stories May 30th
Top Stories May 29th
Top Stories May 24th
Top Stories May 23rd
Top Stories May 21st
Top Stories May 17th

Join Over 6M Subscribers

We’re organizing an online community to elevate trusted voices on all sides so that you can be fully informed.





IJR

    Copyright © 2024 IJR

Trusted Voices On All Sides

  • About Us
  • GDPR Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Editorial Standards & Corrections Policy
  • Subscribe to IJR

Follow Us

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Politics
  • US News
  • Commentary
  • World News
  • Faith
  • Latest Polls

    Copyright © 2024 IJR

Top Stories June 10th Top Stories June 7th Top Stories June 6th Top Stories June 3rd Top Stories May 30th Top Stories May 29th Top Stories May 24th Top Stories May 23rd Top Stories May 21st Top Stories May 17th