'This Has to Stop!': Trump Sparks Online Outrage Over 'AI Has Been Amazing' Remark

Now that artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping industries across the world, people are growing concerned about what the technology could mean for jobs and the future workforce.

American families are no different, as a large section of the public are wondering about the same. However, President Donald Trump feels differently about AI.

During Wednesday, May 20’s press interaction on the tarmac of Joint Base Andrews, a reporter asked Trump, “What’s your message to American families who are scared by the rise of AI?”

In response, the president said, “I’ll tell you, AI has been amazing, because right now we have more jobs, more people working right now in the United States by far than we ever had before.”

Soon after the press interaction went viral on social media, Trump faced heavy backlash.

As he dismissed fears about AI replacing workers and said that there are more jobs in the U.S. than ever before, people pushed back against his remarks.

Many stated that Trump's comments ignored growing layoffs and economic uncertainty tied to AI.

“Trump completely flips the AI fear script - instead of job losses, he’s highlighting the massive job gains already happening. Refreshingly optimistic take in a sea of doomerism,” one user wrote.

Another added, “No we don’t.. most companies are offshoring Jobs now. The stock market is terrible and 401k is falling because of the offshoring and visas."

“Many major corporations such as Amazon, Meta, and others have LAID OFF at least 10% of their workforce due to AI,” commented one user.

An individual added, “And, now they're forcing we the people to subsidize (through skyrocketing utility bills) our OWN demise. THIS HAS TO STOP!!”

“President Trump...Please understand, people have a GREAT CONCERN about AI...This is happening way too fast! The TRUST is not there,” added another.

One user mocked Trump, writing, "AI has indeed been AMAZING for Trump. This morning he posted an AI-generated image of himself and Dana White standing in front of a White House MMA octagon in a lightning storm. Jobs report pending.”

Meanwhile, economic data and recent layoffs seem to paint a different picture.

While Trump said AI has been “amazing” for the American workforce, unemployment in the United States currently stands at 4.3 percent and has been slowly increasing.

According to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report, the lowest unemployment rate in U.S. history was recorded in 1953 at 2.5 percent during the postwar economic boom.

However, in the last 50 years, unemployment rates plummeted the most in 2023, when it stood at 3.4 percent. It later increased, only to fall steadily with the rise of AI.

Beyond simple data and unemployment rates, many industries are seeing major disruption caused by artificial intelligence, especially related to early-career opportunities.

According to reports, entry-level positions are shrinking, and thousands of college graduates are struggling to find stable work in this economy.

In addition to the data, just hours before Trump's remarks on AI, The New York Times reported that Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta has laid off 8,000 employees to expand its AI focus.

Based on these reports, analysts have predicted that AI and automation could replace nearly 6 percent of U.S. jobs by 2030.