President Barack Obama takes victory lap on economy

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is using new jobs numbers to take a victory lap on the economy.

Obama says the U.S. has “the strongest, most durable economy in the world.” He pointed to wage and income growth, job growth, lower oil prices and increasing health insurance as evidence of that claim.

The president says those recent numbers are inconvenient for Republicans who are talking down the economy. He accused Republican presidential candidates of being on a “doom and despair tour” in New Hampshire.

Obama spoke to reporters hours after the Labor Department announced that U.S. employers added 151,000 jobs in January. The gains were enough for the unemployment rate to fall to 4.9 percent from 5 percent. That’s the lowest level of Obama’s presidency.