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Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy. We need your help. More Info ### I would like to contribute One Time Monthly Yearly Join Now ![](\\" ![](\\" Tim Kaine stated on October 4, 2016 in the 2016 Vice Presidential debate: Says that during President Barack Obama’s tenure, the United States has created \"15 million new jobs.\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" half-true/6479cbc723379f0ee49c269b0b9790b7.jpg.\\") ![\\"half- true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") * National * Economy * History * Jobs * Labor * Stimulus * Workers * Tim Kaine ![\\"Louis](\\" By Louis Jacobson October 5, 2016 # Tim Kaine says that during the Obama administration 15 million jobs were created Tim Kaine and Mike Pence sparred over job creation at the vice presidential debate. Pence, the running mate of Republican Donald Trump, said, \"The policies of this administration, which Hillary Clinton and Sen. Kaine want to continue, have run this economy into a ditch. We\'re in the slowest economic recovery since the Great Depression.\" Kaine countered, \"15 million new jobs? 15 million new jobs?\" Is Kaine right that during President Barack Obama’s tenure, the United States has created \"15 million new jobs?\" To be able to get that number, Kaine has to cherry-pick the time frame. Getting to 15 million requires choosing the low point of the job market under Obama. Specifically, the number of employed Americans bottomed out in February 2010 with 107.3 million jobs and rebounded, as of August 2016, to 122.4 million jobs. That’s an increase of about 15.1 million jobs, pretty much what Kaine said. But it’s important to note that February 2010 was just over a year after Obama and Biden were sworn in. Essentially, Obama and Biden took office as the recession was spiraling to its low point, but it took a while to hit bottom. So after they were sworn in, the number of jobs continued to fall for a year as they worked to stop the economic freefall. If you start counting instead at the beginning of Obama’s presidency, the number of jobs rose from about 111.5 million in January 2009 to 122.4 million in August 2016. That’s an increase of 10.9 million jobs, only about two-thirds of the nearly 15 million figure Kaine touted. #### Featured Fact-check ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on August 8, 2024 in a press conference Says his Jan. 6, 2021, speech on the White House Ellipse drew the “same number of people,” as the 1963 March on Washington where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech. ![\\"true\\"](\\" false/33efdb6633e5e2fdc2d4e2f63383a1e0.jpg.\\") ![\\"false\\"](\\" false.jpg\\") By Louis Jacobson • August 9, 2024 We should note that starting the count in February 2010 is something economists have told us is not an unreasonable decision, since the recession began under George W. Bush and Obama can’t reasonably be blamed for job losses in the earliest part of his tenure, when the die was already cast. We’ll also note that using private-sector jobs as the benchmark boosts the numbers a bit compared to total jobs, because widespread budget-cutting in states and localities has led to a smaller government workforce. If you look at total employment gains rather than private-sector gains, the increases would have been a little lower -- an increase of 10.5 million jobs (from the start of Obama’s term) or 14.9 million jobs (from the low point in February 2010). Finally, we’ll note, as we regularly do, that no elected official deserves full credit (or blame) for economic results on their watch. Policies pursued by a president can help the economy, but other factors beyond the reach of a president -- from technological change to improvements in the global economy -- also play a role. Our ruling Kaine said that during Obama’s tenure, the United States has created \"15 million new jobs.\" To reach a number that high requires some creative calendar work -- starting the count at the low point in the job market, which was just over a year after Obama took office. That’s not an unreasonable place to start, but it’s also not the only one, and for Kaine to cite that figure amounts to a bit of cherry-picking. In addition, it’s always worth a grain of salt when allocating credit to an elected official for good economic news. On balance, we rate the statement Half True. #### Read About Our Process The Principles of the Truth-O-Meter ### Our Sources Bureau of Labor Statistics, \"Employment, Hours, and Earnings from the Current Employment Statistics survey (National),\" accessed July 28, 2016 Email interview with Josh Schwerin, spokesman for Hillary Clinton, Oct. 4, 2016 Email interview with Jessica Ditto, spokeswoman for Donald Trump, Oct. 4, 2016 ## Browse the Truth-O-Meter ### More by Louis Jacobson ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on August 8, 2024 in a press conference: Says his Jan. 6, 2021, speech on the White House Ellipse drew the “same number of people,” as the 1963 March on Washington where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Louis Jacobson • August 9, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Tim Walz stated on August 6, 2024 in un mitin de campaña en Filadelfia: \"El crimen violento aumentó bajo Donald Trump\". ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Louis Jacobson • August 9, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Tim Walz stated on August 6, 2024 in a rally in Philadelphia: “Violent crime was up under Donald Trump.” ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Louis Jacobson • August 7, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Kamala Harris stated on July 30, 2024 in a rally in Atlanta: Donald Trump “intends to cut” Medicare. ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Louis Jacobson • August 7, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Joe Biden stated on August 2, 2024 in a written statement: \"Since Vice President Harris and I took office … incomes have risen faster than prices.\" ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" mostly-true.jpg\\") By Louis Jacobson • August 6, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Kamala Harris stated on July 30, 2024 in an event in Atlanta: \"Donald Trump intends to cut Social Security.\" ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Louis Jacobson • July 31, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Pete Buttigieg stated on July 28, 2024 in an interview on Fox News Sunday: “Even before the pandemic, America went into a manufacturing recession.” ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" mostly-true.jpg\\") By Louis Jacobson • July 31, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Kamala Harris stated on July 18, 2024 in a speech in North Carolina: “Today, America has record energy production and we are energy independent.” ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" mostly-true.jpg\\") By Louis Jacobson • July 26, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Kamala Harris stated on July 18, 2024 in a campaign event in North Carolina: Project 2025 would “end Head Start.” ![\\"true\\"](\\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" By Louis Jacobson • July 23, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Joe Biden stated on July 13, 2024 in a statement to the media: “The idea that there’s political violence or violence in America like this is just unheard of.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Louis Jacobson • July 15, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Byron Donalds stated on July 7, 2024 in an interview on Fox News Sunday: Kamala Harris \"co-sponsored, fully sponsored\" the Green New Deal. ![\\"true\\"](\\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" By Louis Jacobson • July 10, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Joe Biden stated on April 4, 2024 in a post on TikTok: Donald Trump’s plan is “cutting Social Security for you.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Louis Jacobson • June 21, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on June 15, 2024 in remarks in Detroit: The Trump administration “achieved the lowest African American unemployment rate and the lowest African American poverty rate ever recorded.” ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Louis Jacobson • June 20, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on June 15, 2024 in remarks in Detroit: Crime statistics “no longer include data from 30% of the country including the biggest and most violent cities.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Louis Jacobson • June 18, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Eric Swalwell stated on June 9, 2024 in a post on X: Says Sen. Lindsey Graham said a newly elected Donald Trump “will round up and deport LEGAL immigrants.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Louis Jacobson • June 10, 2024 ### Tim Kaine says that during the Obama administration 15 million jobs were created * ![](\\" ![](\\" J.D. Vance stated on August 16, 2024 in a post on X: “Kamala Harris wants to give $25,000 to illegal aliens to buy American homes.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Madison Czopek • August 22, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on August 19, 2024 in a Threads post: “PA Gov Josh Shapiro isn’t attending the DNC at all.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • August 21, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Threads posts stated on August 17, 2024 in a photo: Post claims Trump said “you used to be able to get cereal for 20, 30 bucks a pound.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu • August 21, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" X posts stated on August 17, 2024 in In X post on Aug. 17: Photo shows “domestic Antifa are already gathering in Chicago, to create chaos during the Harris-Walz DNC.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Sabine Martin • August 21, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on August 19, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Travis Kelce kneels during national anthem fined $10 million and thrown out of the game.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • August 21, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" X posts stated on August 19, 2024 in X posts: The American flag is missing from the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Sofia Ahmed • August 21, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Tim Walz stated on August 14, 2024 in a speech in California: Former President Donald Trump “cut overtime benefits for millions of workers.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Amy Sherman • August 20, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" X posts stated on August 19, 2024 in a post: “Women don\'t even get their own restroom at the DNC convention.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Grace Abels • August 20, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" X posts stated on August 18, 2024 in X post: Photo shows “pallets or containers of bricks have been found near locations designated for protests related to the Democratic National Convention” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Caleb McCullough • August 20, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" X posts stated on August 19, 2024 in an X post: Democrats dyed the “Chicago River red to celebrate abortion.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Ciara O\'Rourke • August 20, 2024 Load more ### Support independent fact-checking. 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Says that during President Barack Obama’s tenure the United States has created 15 million new jobs