Trump Fires Labor Statistics Commissioner Following Release of Weak Job Market Data
U.S. President Donald Trump has decided to dismiss Erika McEntarfer, the Commissioner of Labor Statistics, following the release of disappointing employment and unemployment figures. According to Trump, the official deliberately understated the data to influence the outcome of the upcoming presidential election.
“I have learned that Erika McEntarfer, the Biden-appointed Commissioner of Labor Statistics, falsified job numbers before the election to boost Kamala’s chances of winning,” Trump wrote on the Truth Social platform. In his post, he suggested that the statistics were manipulated for political reasons, although he presented no evidence to support the claim.
The president referred to a report published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which showed that only 73,000 new jobs were created in July—significantly fewer than expected. Additionally, figures from the previous two months were revised downward by a combined total of over 280,000 jobs. This information caused concern among investors, and The New York Times suggested it could be a sign of a looming recession.
Trump announced that McEntarfer would be replaced by her current deputy, William Wiatrowski. The decision was supported by Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez DeRemer.
In a subsequent post, Trump also criticized the Federal Reserve, accusing it of manipulating interest rates ahead of the election. He implied that Fed Chair Jerome Powell should also be removed from office.
Despite the president’s accusations, experts emphasize that BLS data is routinely revised retroactively for technical reasons, such as delayed employer responses or standard statistical adjustments. Analysts noted that the scale of the recent revisions falls within the standard margin of error, which is about 100,000.