President Donald J. Trump, in a forceful rebuke of what he described as politically motivated data manipulation, announced Friday that he is directing the removal of Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Commissioner Dr. Erika McEntarfer, accusing her of deliberately overstating job gains during the 2024 election to aid Democrats.
In a statement posted on Truth Social just hours after the release of a dismal July jobs report, Trump said McEntarfer — appointed by President Biden in 2023 — “faked” key employment figures to boost then–Vice President Kamala Harris’s chances in the 2024 election.
“I was just informed that our Country’s ‘Jobs Numbers’ are being produced by a Biden Appointee… who faked the Jobs Numbers before the Election to try and boost Kamala’s chances of Victory,” Trump wrote. “These were Records — No one can be that wrong?”
The July report showed a modest 73,000 jobs added — well below economists’ expectations — and a significant downward revision of 258,000 jobs over the prior two months. For Trump, who reclaimed the presidency in January after a decisive victory, the data not only confirmed a weakening labor market but pointed to what he called “manipulated” statistics aimed at misleading the public in an election year.
“The same Bureau overstated the Jobs Growth in March 2024 by approximately 818,000 and, then again, right before the 2024 Presidential Election, in August and September, by 112,000,” Trump wrote, calling the pattern “systematic.”
McEntarfer, a long-time labor economist with deep roots in federal statistical research, has not responded publicly to the allegations. The White House also declined to comment.
While academic economists often caution against politicizing the Bureau’s revisions — noting that such fluctuations are a normal part of complex economic measurement — Trump’s directive reflects a more aggressive approach to restoring what he sees as transparency and accountability in government.
“We need accurate Jobs Numbers,” Trump said. “She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified.”
Trump’s criticisms didn’t stop at the Labor Department. In the same post, he took fresh aim at Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, accusing the central bank of cutting rates late last year in a bid to “get Kamala elected.” Calling Powell “Too Late,” Trump suggested it was time for the Fed chief to be “put out to pasture.”
Trump’s posture underscores a broader effort to reorient key institutions he believes were weaponized for political purposes during the previous administration. Though critics may call his comments a departure from presidential decorum, his supporters see it as long-overdue house-cleaning in the name of honest governance.
“The economy is BOOMING under ‘TRUMP,’” he declared, while warning that figures from Washington must reflect reality — not politics.
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