Trump Fires BLS Commissioner Over Alleged Job Report Discrepancies Ahead of 2024 Election
President Donald Trump on Friday dismissed Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Commissioner Dr. Erika McEntarfer following the release of a weaker-than-expected July jobs report and accused the agency of previously misreporting employment data ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
According to the Department of Labor, the U.S. economy added 73,000 jobs in July and the unemployment rate rose to 4.2%. Both figures fell short of economists’ expectations and prompted immediate scrutiny from the White House.
On Truth Social, President Trump, who recently began his second term, expressed concerns over what he called “manipulated” employment figures. He cited discrepancies in past job growth reports, particularly in the months leading up to the 2024 election, which he alleged had been overstated in favor of then-Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
“I was just informed that our Country’s ‘Jobs Numbers’ are being produced by a Biden Appointee… who faked the Jobs Numbers before the Election to try and boost Kamala’s chances of Victory,” Trump wrote. He further claimed that job growth was overstated by over 800,000 positions in early 2024 and again in the fall.
In his statement, Trump directed his administration to remove McEntarfer from her post, stating she would be replaced “with someone much more competent and qualified.”
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich confirmed the firing and defended the move, citing a pattern of “routinely getting economic data wrong.” Budowich added, “Policy makers look to these reports to inform decisions… We need accuracy, and President Trump will restore competency and accuracy to this critical agency.”
Stephen Miran, a senior White House economist, acknowledged the weak jobs report and said part of the downward revision — including a 258,000-job adjustment to the previous two months — was due to statistical factors, not deliberate manipulation.
“About 60 percent of the downward revision is due to quirks of the seasonal adjustment process,” Miran told CNN. He also noted that despite the setback, long-term fundamentals of the labor market remained “strong.”
McEntarfer, appointed under the Biden administration, had served as BLS commissioner during a period of economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic. While she has not issued a public statement in response to her dismissal, labor economists have pointed out that monthly jobs data is often revised as more information becomes available, and fluctuations are not uncommon.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics, a division of the Department of Labor, plays a key role in compiling data that influences federal monetary policy, market forecasts, and public trust in the economy.
This marks the first high-profile dismissal from a federal agency under Trump’s new term, and it has renewed debate over political influence in the presentation and interpretation of economic data.
Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr
