President Trump declared Friday that jobs are coming back on the heels of a surprise labor report that may indicate the start of an economic recovery amid historic job losses, as he also upped his demands on states to lift lingering coronavirus-related lockdowns.

"We're bringing our jobs back," Trump said at an upbeat Rose Garden press conference. "We're gonna be back there. "I think we're actually going to be back there higher next year than ever before."

He added, in reference to predictions that the economy could eventually bounce back to where it was before the pandemic: "We've been talking about a 'V.' This is far better than a 'V.' This is a rocketship."

Numbers released by the Labor Department indicated that the economy added 2.5 million jobs in May and the U.S. unemployment rate dropped to 13.3 percent from 14.7 percent a month earlier. This was a stark reversal from expectations that the unemployment rate could reach nearly 20 percent in May, and Trump took the opportunity to crow over the positive economic news.

"We'll go back to having the greatest economy anywhere in the world, nothing close. And I think we're going to have a very good upcoming few months. I think you're going to have a very good August, very good July, but a spectacular, maybe spectacular September ... and next year's going to be one of the best years we've ever had economically," Trump said, touting a "job surge."

He compared the U.S. economy to a surgery patient who was strong before an operation and had a better chance of coming out of the operation healthy.

"The reason it's been and is so good, is because the body was strong," he said. "Our body was so powerful that we could actually close our country."

Trump further said that significant progress was being made on the development of coronavirus vaccines and therapeutics. Yet he also questioned why some states still have significant coronavirus lockdown measures in place, as he credited states lifting lockdowns like Florida and Georgia for the economic progress so far.

"This is what these numbers are all about ... It's extremely important to remember that many of our states are closed or almost closed. Some of the big ones, New York, New Jersey, they'll start, they're starting now to get open. I hope," Trump said.

The comments came after a flurry Friday morning tweets from the president, seizing on the unexpectedly good economic news. Read more at FOX News