President Trump on Friday said he directed his team to fire the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics following a dismal jobs report he blamed squarely on the Biden appointee.
Trump said on Truth Social that the commissioner, Dr. Erika McEntarfer, had “faked the Jobs Numbers” before the 2024 election in order to boost his then-political rival Kamala Harris.
He cited revisions both during the Biden administration of labor statistics that at the time boosted job numbers ahead of the election. The jobs report released Friday showed a significant downturn during Trump’s administration in May and June that showed the U.S. added 258,000 fewer jobs during those months.
“No one can be that wrong?” Trump said. “We need accurate Jobs Numbers. I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY. She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified. Important numbers like this must be fair and accurate, they can’t be manipulated for political purposes.”
McEntarfer was nominated by Biden in 2023 and confirmed by the Senate in 2024 as the 16th commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which is part of the Department of Labor.
DEVELOPING
