Poli Alert Politics & Civics
Related Articles
President Donald Trump on Friday fired Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Commissioner Erika McEntarfer just hours after the release of a dismal jobs report, accusing her of manipulating employment data to damage his administration politically.
The abrupt termination follows the BLS’s announcement that only 73,000 jobs were added in July — far below forecasts — with deep downward revisions to job gains from May and June. Together, those revisions erased more than 200,000 previously reported jobs, triggering sharp losses on Wall Street and casting doubt on the strength of the labor market.
Trump lashed out at McEntarfer on Truth Social, accusing her without evidence of rigging the numbers. “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,” he wrote. He later added: “In my opinion, today’s Jobs Numbers were RIGGED in order to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad.”
An administration official confirmed to NBC News that McEntarfer had been fired. Deputy Commissioner Bill Wiatrowski, an Obama-era appointee, will serve as acting commissioner until a replacement is found, according to Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer.
McEntarfer, nominated by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate in January 2024 with bipartisan support, had served less than eight months in the role. Her dismissal drew swift condemnation from government ethics advocates and former Labor officials.
“President Trump is once again destroying the credibility of our government by firing expert and nonpartisan officials because he does not like the facts that they present,” said Max Stier, CEO of the nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service.
Julie Su, former Labor Secretary under Biden, added: “The work is done largely by expert career staff who do their jobs with care and pride. Career staff who have also been attacked and vilified by this president.”
The BLS is widely regarded as one of the most respected statistical agencies in the world. It regularly revises employment figures based on more complete state-level data. Such revisions are common and reflect the evolving nature of economic measurement — not foul play, experts say.
“Revisions happen all the time,” former Labor Department Chief of Staff Daniel Koh said. “Nobody is faking numbers.”
Trump, however, appeared to reject that premise. He accused McEntarfer of helping “boost Kamala’s chances of Victory” — a reference to Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.
Critics warn that the firing may undermine confidence in U.S. government data, which businesses, investors, and policymakers rely on to make critical decisions. “Any erosion of trustworthy data can impact everything from lending decisions to inflation expectations,” said Daniel Hornung, senior fellow at MIT and a former White House economic adviser.
The firing comes amid Trump’s escalating feud with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, whom he attacked earlier this week and again on Friday. Trump has repeatedly demanded lower interest rates, blaming Powell for keeping borrowing costs high. After the jobs report, Trump suggested Powell should be “put out to pasture.”
Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance backed Trump’s decision, despite having voted to confirm McEntarfer just months ago. “President Trump has the right to hire and fire the people he wants to staff the government he was elected in a landslide to run,” said Vance spokesperson William Martin.
McEntarfer, who previously worked at the Census Bureau and the Council of Economic Advisers, did not immediately comment on her dismissal.
The BLS’s mission includes measuring labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes to support both public and private decision-making. Experts warn that politicizing its leadership could have dangerous long-term implications.
“This is what we see in authoritarian regimes — not in the United States,” said Stier. “It should alarm everyone who cares about the integrity of our democracy and economy.”
