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President Donald Trump has fired Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer, accusing her of manipulating job data to favor Democrats.
Some shit you should know before you read: If you’re unaware, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is a nonpartisan federal agency within the Department of Labor responsible for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating essential economic data, including monthly employment figures. The BLS operates independently, using standardized methodologies and large-scale surveys of over 100,000 businesses and government agencies to produce labor market statistics. Its data is subject to regular revisions (first preliminary, then updated in the following two months) as more complete information becomes available. In its most recent report, the BLS revealed that the US economy added just 73,000 jobs in July (way below expectations), and revised May and June’s job gains downward by a combined 258,000.
What’s going on now: In a notable development, President Trump fired BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer just hours after the release of a disappointing July jobs report. On Truth Social, he accused McEntarfer of deliberately falsifying employment data ahead of the 2024 election to benefit former Vice President Kamala Harris, stating, “She faked the Jobs Numbers before the 2024 Election to help Kamala. We need accurate Jobs Numbers. I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY.” He also claimed the report was “RIGGED” and said the downward revisions were part of a pattern aimed at making his administration “look bad.”
Trump added that the BLS had repeatedly made “mistakes” and argued, “We’re doing so well. I believe the numbers were phony… So, you know what I did? I fired her, and you know what? I did the right thing.”
McEntarfer, a labor economist with a long career in statistics, was nominated by President Biden in 2023 and confirmed by the Senate in January 2024 with overwhelming bipartisan support, including votes from then-Senator JD Vance.
The firing sparked backlash from both Democratic and Republican lawmakers. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) criticized the decision, saying, “If she was just fired because the president… didn’t like the numbers, they ought to grow up.” Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) expressed concern, stating, “If the president is firing the statistician because he doesn’t like the numbers but they are accurate, then that’s a problem.”
Democratic lawmakers echoed these concerns, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer accusing Trump of acting like “someone who imitates authoritarian leaders.” Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) said McEntarfer’s dismissal was “the stuff of fascist dictatorships.”
