Trump dismisses BLS commissioner following dismal employment figures
In a surprising turn of events, former President Donald Trump directed his team to fire Erika McEntarfer, the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), following the release of a disappointing jobs report on August 1, 2025. The report showed that the U.S. added only 73,000 jobs in July, a significant downturn from the initially reported figures, indicating the U.S. added 258,000 fewer jobs over the months of May and June.
McEntarfer, a highly-regarded labor economist, was nominated by President Joe Biden in 2023 and confirmed by the Senate in 2024 with strong bipartisan support. She held a PhD in economics from Virginia Tech and had a distinguished career in labor economics, focusing on job loss, worker mobility, retirement, and wage rigidity. Before her tenure as BLS Commissioner, she worked at the Census Bureau’s Center for Economic Studies, the Treasury Department’s Office of Tax Policy, and served as a senior economist in the White House Council of Economic Advisers.
Trump's decision to fire McEntarfer sparked controversy, with allegations that she and the BLS manipulated job numbers. However, no credible evidence or detailed findings supporting these claims have been presented publicly. The firing and accusations appear to be politically motivated reactions to the unfavorable employment statistics rather than substantiated claims against McEntarfer’s conduct or the integrity of the BLS reports.
Trump continued to criticize Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell for not lowering interest rates and accused him of playing games with interest rates before the 2024 election. He also accused McEntarfer of "faking the Jobs Numbers" before the 2024 election to boost Vice President Kamala Harris's White House bid.
Top White House economist Stephen Miran attributed about 60% of the downward revision in the jobs report to quirks of the seasonal adjustment process. The story was updated at 3:55 p.m.
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[1] BLS Commissioner Fired by Trump After Weak Jobs Report [2] Trump Accuses BLS Commissioner of Manipulating Job Numbers [3] Erika McEntarfer: The Unraveling of a Career [4] The Firing of Erika McEntarfer: A Political Stunt or Substantiated Claim?
- The media has been flooded with debates and discussions about the controversial firing of Erika McEntarfer, the former BLS Commissioner, following the release of a disappointing jobs report, with critics accusing Trump of politicizing policy-and-legislation related to sports and general-news, due to allegations of job numbers manipulation.
- As politics continue to play a significant role in shaping media discourse, news outlets have been reporting on the ongoing dispute between Trump and McEntarfer, highlighting issues such as labor economics, job loss, worker mobility, retirement, and wage rigidity, along with the potential impacts on policy-and-legislation in these areas.
