Trump Fires Labor Statistics Commissioner Over Employment Report
Trump Orders Firing of US Labor Statistics Commissioner Over Weaker-Than-Expected Jobs Data
Donald Trump has ordered the dismissal of the commissioner of the US Labour Department’s Bureau of labour Statistics following the release of July employment figures that showed weaker-than-expected job growth and significant downward revisions to previous months’ data.
Erika McEntarfer, who was nominated by President Joe Biden in 2023 and confirmed by the Senate the following year, was accused by Mr Trump of “faking the jobs numbers.” The former president made the announcement via a post on Truth Social, stating, “We need accurate Jobs Numbers. I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY. She will be replaced wiht someone much more competent and qualified.”
Mr Trump further alleged that the jobs numbers were “RIGGED to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad.” He claimed that Ms McEntarfer had “faked” employment figures in the lead-up to last year’s election to benefit his democratic rival, Kamala Harris, asserting that the US economy was, actually, “BOOMING” under his administration.
Though, there is no evidence to support Mr Trump’s claims of data manipulation by the Bureau of Labour Statistics, the agency responsible for compiling key economic indicators such as the employment report, consumer price data, and producer price data.
The White House has not yet responded to requests for comment on Mr Trump’s statement.
Concerns Over Economic Data quality Amidst Administration Changes
Mr Trump’s comments come at a time when the administration’s significant reduction in federal government workers has raised concerns about the quality of US economic data,which has historically been regarded as a global benchmark.
Earlier this year, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick dissolved two expert committees that had been instrumental in the government’s production of economic statistics. Mr Lutnick has also suggested removing government spending from the gross domestic product (GDP) report, citing past instances where “governments historically have messed with GDP.”
Moreover, the Bureau of Labour Statistics has already scaled back data collection for its consumer price and producer price reports.
Economists Link Slowdown to Trump’s policies
Economists have attributed the sharp deceleration in job growth to the trade and immigration policies enacted during Mr trump’s presidency. The latest report indicated that the US economy created only 73,000 jobs in July. Revisions to data for May and June revealed that 258,000 fewer jobs were created than initially reported.
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2025