Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) criticized President Donald Trump’s economic record in a post on X dated August 18, 2026, citing a loss of 23,000 jobs in July, the slowest wage growth in five years and shrinking inflation-adjusted paychecks. She said Trump had promised an economic boom but that families were instead being squeezed. Moody’s chief economist Mark Zandi attributed pressure on the U.S. economy to lower labor demand, Trump’s immigration policies, tariffs and the war in Iran, while saying artificial intelligence had helped prevent the economy from falling into complete shambles. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said the economy was moving in a pretty good direction, although high costs remained a burden. The Kobeissi Letter separately reported that full-time employment fell by 106,000 in July to 133.55 million, its lowest level since December 2024, marking a fourth straight monthly decline and a total drop of 1.11 million. The unemployment rate fell to 4.1%, while the labor-force participation rate (share of working-age people employed or seeking work) declined to 61.4%.