Social media users, particularly those critical of the Biden administration, expressed appreciation for the “Community Notes” feature on the platform formerly known as Twitter, following a fact-check on a statement by White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. The feature, which allows for crowdsourced information addition, was used to provide context to Jean-Pierre’s claim about the success of “Bidenomics.”
Jean-Pierre had posted a message celebrating the creation of 199,000 jobs last month and a total of 14.1 million jobs under President Biden’s tenure, attributing these figures to the success of Biden’s economic policies. However, the “Community Notes” feature highlighted that a significant portion of these jobs were recoveries from pandemic-related losses, not entirely new jobs.
The appended note referenced a U.S. House Budget Committee press release from June, which clarified that about 72% of job gains since 2021 were recoveries from the pandemic. It pointed out that compared to pre-pandemic levels, the net employment increase is only 3.7 million jobs.
The use of “Community Notes” for this clarification garnered positive reactions from several conservative figures. Dinesh D’Souza, a conservative author and filmmaker, accused Jean-Pierre of lying. Bryan Griffin, press secretary for Governor Ron DeSantis, used the opportunity to criticize the White House and promote DeSantis. “Rasmussen Reports” thanked the “Community Notes” function for its role in preventing censorship, while XM radio host Andrew Wilkow and Trump 2024 senior adviser Dan Scavino Jr. also joined in the criticism, with Scavino responding with a “Stop spreading misinformation” GIF.
This incident reflects ongoing debates about the state of the economy under President Biden. Despite claims of economic improvement from the administration and some media outlets, public sentiment remains mixed. An October poll by The New York Times/Siena found that over 60% of Democrats rated the economy as “only fair” or “poor,” indicating a broader uncertainty about economic conditions among voters, including those within the Democratic Party.