Biden makes first briefing room appearance as president to tout economy, port deal

President Biden on Friday made his first appearance in the press briefing room since taking office to tout strong jobs data and the resolution of a strike at East and Gulf coast ports that threatened to upend the economy.

“The past two days, we’ve gotten some very good news about the American economy,” Biden said.

“Just yesterday, shipping carriers, after some discussion with International Longshoreman’s Union, came to an agreement to keep the ports of the East Coast and the Gulf ports open. We averted what could have become a major crisis for the country.”

“Today, I got more incredible news,” he added, pointing to the September jobs report that came in far above expectations.

The International Longshoreman’s Association (ILA) reached a tentative agreement Thursday night with the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX) to bring to an end the strike that experts estimated could cost the economy up to $5 billion a day.

“I especially want to thank the carriers, the port operators and the longshoremen union for reaching this agreement at a time when the nation has experienced such terrible devastation from Hurricane Helene,” he added. “It was truly a service to the American people, for all these parties to come together and respond to our request to keep the ports open.”

The U.S. added 254,000 jobs in September and the jobless rate dropped to 4.1 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Economists expected the U.S. to add just 140,000 jobs and keep the unemployment rate steady at 4.2 percent, according to consensus estimates.

Biden also called out Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who claimed without evidence Friday that the jobs report was "fake" and incorrectly claimed that 16 of the past 17 jobs reports were revised lower after their initial release.

The total job gains for July and August were revised higher in the September jobs report, adding 72,000 jobs to the combined haul.

"If you notice anything MAGA Republicans don't like, they call fake. Anything. The job numbers are what the job numbers are, they're real. They're sincere," Biden said.

Brett Samuels contributed.

Updated at 2:31 p.m.