On August 1, President Trump swiftly dismissed Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Commissioner Dr. Erika McEntarfer hours after a weak jobs report, accusing her of manipulating numbers to favor Democrats.
The July jobs report showed only 73,000 new jobs, far below the expected 106,000, and unemployment rose to 4.2%. Further, May and June data were revised downward by 258,000 jobs, making this among the steepest multi-month reductions outside the pandemic era.
President Trump denounced the report as “rigged” and claimed McEntarfer, a Biden appointee, intentionally deflated her own reports to damage Republicans. He announced her firing on Truth Social without offering supporting evidence and promoted Deputy Commissioner William Wiatrowski to acting head during the search for a replacement.
The full post on Truth Social read:
“I was just informed that our Country’s “Jobs Numbers” are being produced by a Biden Appointee, Dr. Erika McEntarfer, the Commissioner of Labor Statistics, who faked the Jobs Numbers before the Election to try and boost Kamala’s chances of Victory. This is the same Bureau of Labor Statistics that overstated the Jobs Growth in March 2024 by approximately 818,000 and, then again, right before the 2024 Presidential Election, in August and September, by 112,000.
“These were Records — No one can be that wrong? We need accurate Jobs Numbers. I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY. She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified. Important numbers like this must be fair and accurate, they can’t be manipulated for political purposes.
“McEntarfer said there were only 73,000 Jobs added (a shock!) but, more importantly, that a major mistake was made by them, 258,000 Jobs downward, in the prior two months. Similar things happened in the first part of the year, always to the negative. The Economy is BOOMING under “TRUMP” despite a Fed that also plays games, this time with Interest Rates, where they lowered them twice, and substantially, just before the Presidential Election, I assume in the hopes of getting “Kamala” elected – How did that work out? Jerome “Too Late” Powell should also be put “out to pasture.” Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Support from within the administration included Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who backed the decision as necessary to restore public confidence in BLS data.
DeRemer wrote on X, “I support the President’s decision to replace Biden’s Commissioner and ensure the American People can trust the important and influential data coming from BLS.”
Dr. McEntarfer had a bipartisan Senate confirmation in January 2024. Former officials point out that BLS commissioners serve fixed terms, and abrupt removal could undermine institutional independence.
Economists noted the jobs slowdown reflected ongoing corrections in the market, while supporters of President Trump argued the weak report highlighted failures from Biden-era economic policies still affecting the labor force.
Lingering inflation, high interest rates, and workforce disruptions are considered evidence that the Trump administration inherited a shaky foundation that needed aggressive reform.
Trump supporters have defended the firing as a necessary step to restore accountability in federal agencies, stressing that the American people deserve honest, transparent economic data free from political influence.
