Today's News: Trump Fires Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner After Weak Jobs Report

Trump, without providing evidence, accused McEntarfer of manipulating the data for political purposes. This unprecedented move sparked widespread concern.

Terrence Dorsey

Aug 01, 2025

Photo: Alyson Fligg/U.S. Department of Labor

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Date: July 31 - August 1, 2025
Topic: Trump Fires Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner After Weak Jobs Report
Summary: President Donald Trump fired Erika McEntarfer, the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, on July 31, 2025, hours after the release of a disappointing July jobs report. The report showed significantly fewer jobs added than expected and substantial downward revisions for previous months. Trump, without providing evidence, accused McEntarfer of manipulating the data for political purposes. This unprecedented move sparked widespread concern among economists, former government officials, and lawmakers regarding the integrity and independence of federal economic data and statistical agencies. The weak labor market data also intensified Trump’s demands for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates.

Sources

Key Points

President Trump fired Erika McEntarfer, the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, on Friday, July 31, 2025.
The firing occurred immediately after the release of the July jobs report, which showed the U.S. economy added significantly fewer jobs (73,000-74,000) than economists expected and included large downward revisions for May and June job growth (a combined 258,000 fewer jobs).
Trump claimed, without evidence, that the jobs numbers were “rigged,” “faked,” or “manipulated for political purposes” by McEntarfer, whom he identified as a “Biden appointee.”
The decision to fire McEntarfer raised widespread concerns among economists, former government officials, and lawmakers about the politicization of economic data and the potential erosion of trust in the independence and accuracy of federal statistical agencies.
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer echoed Trump’s concerns and announced that William Wiatrowski, the deputy commissioner, would serve as acting commissioner during the search for a replacement.
The weak jobs report intensified President Trump’s existing pressure on the Federal Reserve and Chairman Jerome H. Powell to lower interest rates to bolster the economy.

Unique Highlights

The New York Times details the market reactions to the jobs report and tariffs, including U.S. Treasury yields falling sharply, the dollar dropping, and the S&P 500 ending down 1.6% for the day and 2.4% for the week. It also highlights a decrease of 12,000 federal government jobs in July, part of a larger downsizing trend.
NBC News provides specific details on Vice President JD Vance’s communications director’s statement, supporting Trump’s decision despite Vance’s prior confirmation vote for McEntarfer, stating he was “willing to let nominations move forward even when he disagreed with them.” It also explicitly mentions Trump’s specific accusation that McEntarfer “faked the Jobs Numbers before the Election to try and boost Kamala’s chances of Victory.”
Fox Business offers precise figures for the downward revisions of May (125,000 to 19,000) and June (133,000 to 14,000) job gains, noting that the last time a revision exceeded 133,000 was in March 2021. It also includes details on the labor force participation rate (62.2%) and the increase in long-term unemployed individuals (179,000 to 1.8 million).
The Washington Post highlights that much of June’s downward revision was concentrated in state and local government education jobs, contributing about 40% of the total shift, with the initial gain of 63,500 jobs in that sector being slashed to 7,500. It also includes direct quotes from Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) expressing alarm and distrust, and an anonymous BLS employee’s perspective on McEntarfer’s nonpartisan reputation and staff fear.
The Wall Street Journal provides a detailed explanation of how monthly payroll numbers are calculated through a voluntary survey of businesses and government agencies, noting the typical 60% response rate for initial reports and the role of “concurrent seasonal adjustment.” It also includes quotes from economics professor Arindrajit Dube stating the firing “threatens to destroy trust in core American institutions.”
CNN points out that, after revisions, the jobs report showed the weakest pace of hiring for any three-month period since the 2020 pandemic recession. It further explains the BLS’s routine revision process, including two post-initial report revisions and an annual February revision, and how seasonal adjustment formulas can exacerbate revisions. The article also raises concerns about BLS staff layoffs and reduced scope of work due to cost-cutting, citing the cessation of Consumer Price Index data collection in three cities and increased “imputations,” along with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell’s prior concerns about “mild degradation of the scope of the surveys.”

Contrasting Details

Justification for Firing vs. Nature of Data Revisions: President Trump (The New York Times, NBC News, Fox Business, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, CNN) claimed the jobs numbers were “rigged,” “faked,” or a “major mistake” manipulated for political purposes. In direct contrast, economists and former officials cited across multiple articles (The New York Times, NBC News, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, CNN) universally stated that such revisions are routine, standard practice, and a reflection of the government’s data collection methodology, not manipulation or political bias. For example, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal explain that initial estimates rely on incomplete data, with responses from smaller businesses filtering in later, leading to routine adjustments.
Perception of Erika McEntarfer’s Competence and Integrity: President Trump and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer (all sources) implied or stated McEntarfer was incompetent or politically motivated, referring to her as a “Biden appointee” who “faked the Jobs Numbers.” However, numerous experts and former colleagues, including William Beach (who led the BLS during Trump’s first term, cited in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal), Michael Strain (The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal), and Jason Furman (CNN), strongly defended McEntarfer’s integrity, expertise, and nonpartisan approach, stating there was “no evidence whatsoever that BLS data are politically biased.”
Trump’s Consistency on BLS Data: While Trump now claims the BLS data is “rigged” (all sources), NBC News and CNN highlight his past inconsistent stance. He previously criticized BLS data as “phony” during his 2016 campaign when unemployment figures were unfavorable but praised BLS reports as “GREAT JOBS NUMBERS” and “very real” when they were favorable to his administration in April, May, and June 2025. This contrasts with his current assertion that he has “always had a problem with these numbers.”

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