Article snippet: An underwhelming August jobs report is adding to fears of an economic slowdown, raising the stakes for MORE's reelection bid. The U.S. added roughly 130,000 jobs in August, according to federal data released Friday, undershooting economists' expectations as the labor market continues to slow. The resilient job market has been one of Trump's top selling points as he attempts to win re-election on the strength of the U.S. economy. But the disappointing August jobs report threatens to undercut Trump's message ahead of a critical stretch for the economy. The report comes as the Trump administration and China try to revive trade talks after more than a year of tit-for-tat tariffs between the world's two largest economies. Deputy staff-level talks are set to begin later this month with hopes that they will open the door to a meeting between higher-level officials sometime in October. But with just 14 months until the 2020 election, Trump faces a narrowing window to strike a truce with China that could steer the U.S. away from the edge of a recession. While trade experts have ruled out the chance of a comprehensive agreement, the U.S. and China could seek a smaller deal to ease tensions and tariffs. Failure to do so could derail not only the U.S. economy, but Trump's shot at another White House term. "Today's employment data, coupled with earlier revisions to 2018, suggest that we have hit a tipping point," wrote Diane Swonk, chief economist at Grant Thornton, in a Fr... Link to the full article to read more