"Stunned Response": The way Labor Statistics employees reacted upon Trump's dismissal of the commissioner following a disappointing jobs report
In an unprecedented move, President Donald Trump fired Erika McEntarfer, the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), on August 1, 2025, following the release of a dismal jobs report. The report indicated a paltry 73,000 jobs were added in July and showed 258,000 fewer jobs were added in May and June than previously reported.
Trump claimed that the jobs data was manipulated to make him and the Republican Party look bad, alleging that the numbers were "rigged" for political reasons. However, McEntarfer, who was appointed by President Biden and confirmed by a bipartisan Senate vote for a four-year term starting in January 2024, emphasized the importance of BLS data in influencing economic decisions for various entities.
The BLS, a highly respected federal statistical agency, operates autonomously within the Department of Labor and is staffed mostly by career economists and researchers. It produces critical labor market data, including the monthly jobs report, which gauges employment trends across the U.S. economy and is closely watched by policymakers, investors, and economists worldwide.
The firing represents a rare and extraordinary use of presidential authority to remove a key statistical official based on partisan accusations, undermining the long-standing reputation of BLS data as the "gold standard" of economic measurement. Economists and investors have traditionally accepted the BLS data as unbiased and free from political interference. Trump's action has sparked concern about the politicization of economic statistics and threatens the perceived legitimacy of U.S. government economic data.
To address these concerns, BLS employees have emphasized the importance of accurate numbers and professional integrity in producing data that is foundational for measuring the economy and holding elected officials accountable. The agency revises the prior months' data two times as part of each jobs report, and also conducts an annual benchmark revision for accuracy.
In the wake of McEntarfer's firing, William Wiatrowski, the acting commissioner, told the staff that their mission to provide high quality data to the nation remains unchanged. Meanwhile, Trump announced the nomination of E.J. Antoni, chief economist at the conservative Heritage Foundation, to lead the BLS. Antoni made comments to Fox News Digital about suspending the monthly jobs report before his nomination was announced.
The White House stated that McEntarfer was removed due to concerns about the accuracy of the jobs report revisions. However, emails obtained by The Associated Press suggest an agency with little of the corrupting partisanship that Trump had claimed. One assistant commissioner encouraged staff to persevere, comparing the situation to a ship's crew after losing its captain. The assistant commissioner emphasized that the agency remains guided by its mission to provide gold-standard statistics the public can trust.
This firing follows a pattern of Trump exerting presidential power to influence agencies and institutions beyond traditional boundaries. The incident has sparked debate about the independence of federal statistical agencies and the potential for political interference in the production of economic data.
In a surprising twist, some Costco food courts in Washington now serve Coke in their soda fountains, a move that has been met with mixed reactions from customers. McEntarfer expressed gratitude to BLS employees in her email after being fired by President Trump. The administration hopes the monthly jobs report will continue to be released, according to Press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
[1] Associated Press. (2025). Trump fires BLS commissioner amidst disputed jobs report. [online] Available at: https://www.apnews.com/article/donald-trump-economy-fired-bureau-of-labor-statistics-e45bb1426b3394b65f871f7888c8e04f
[2] New York Times. (2025). Trump Fires BLS Commissioner Amidst Disputed Jobs Report. [online] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/01/business/economy/trump-fires-bureau-of-labor-statistics-commissioner.html
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