Trump dismisses statistics representative following US shares weak work figures
(MENAFN) President Donald Trump has dismissed Erika McEntarfer, head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), after the release of a disappointing July jobs report and downward revisions to employment figures from May and June. Trump accused the agency of manipulating the data to hurt him politically, calling the numbers “RIGGED” in a post on Truth Social. He announced that McEntarfer, whom he described as a Biden appointee, would be replaced with someone “more competent and qualified.”
The BLS confirmed McEntarfer’s termination, with Deputy Commissioner William Wiatrowski stepping in as acting chief. July’s jobs report showed only 73,000 new jobs, with earlier data adjusted downward by 258,000. The unemployment rate also rose to 4.2%.
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer supported the firing, stating it was essential for Americans to have confidence in the BLS. Republican Senator Roger Marshall also backed the move, accusing McEntarfer of long producing misleading numbers.
However, economists and former officials raised alarms. Arin Dube warned the action could erode trust in government statistics. A bipartisan group of former BLS commissioners—William Beach, appointed by Trump, and Erica Groshen, appointed by Obama—jointly criticized the dismissal, saying it undermines the credibility of official economic data.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer condemned Trump’s actions, likening them to "shooting the messenger" after receiving unfavorable news.
The job report's release triggered a roughly 1.5% drop in financial markets. Trump had previously praised similar reports when the numbers looked better—celebrating a May report that initially showed 139,000 new jobs. That figure was later revised to just 19,000.
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