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Trump Dismisses BLS Commissioner After Calling Jobs Revisions 'Rigged'

Critics warn the unprecedented removal threatens public confidence in nonpartisan economic data.

Then-U.S. Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer poses for a photograph in this undated handout image, obtained by Reuters on August 2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
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U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media as he departs the White House on August 01, 2025 in Washington, DC.
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Overview

  • President Trump fired Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer on August 1 after the agency reported 73,000 jobs added in July and revised May and June figures downward by 258,000.
  • Trump labeled the revisions “rigged” to make Republicans look bad and promised to appoint a more “transparent and reliable” commissioner within days.
  • White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett defended the action, citing the size of routine BLS revisions as “hard evidence” of manipulation.
  • Economists and former BLS officials maintain that monthly data updates are standard practice and warn that the firing undermines the bureau’s longstanding independence.
  • Data experts caution that politicizing the BLS could erode trust in U.S. economic statistics that underpin policymaking and market stability.