The first jobs report released since President Donald J. Trump reportedly dismissed Erika McEntarfer as commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed continued weakness in the labor market, with just 22,000 jobs added in August and unemployment ticking up to 4.3 percent.
The sluggish numbers followed July’s disappointing report, when only 79,000 jobs were added — the weakest growth since December 2020.
The back-to-back reports have amplified criticism of the bureau’s methods, which Trump has accused of being skewed for political purposes.
The president, who announced McEntarfer’s firing last month in a post on Truth Social, defended the move as necessary to restore integrity to the nation’s economic data. “I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump wrote at the time. “She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified.” He further accused McEntarfer of “faking numbers to make him look bad.”
McEntarfer’s removal marked the latest step in Trump’s effort to reshape federal agencies he argues have been tainted by partisanship.
To lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics, he has nominated EJ Antoni, a research fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation who has been outspoken in his skepticism of the bureau’s reporting practices.
Antoni has called the accuracy of the monthly jobs report into question, suggesting that flaws in data-gathering have undermined confidence in one of the government’s most closely watched economic indicators. “How on earth are businesses supposed to plan – or how is the Fed supposed to conduct monetary policy – when they don’t know how many jobs are being added or lost in our economy?” Antoni said in an interview with Fox News. “It’s a serious problem that needs to be fixed immediately.”
As acting commissioner, William Wiatrowski is overseeing the bureau until Antoni is confirmed by the Senate.
In the meantime, Antoni has already outlined his vision for reform, proposing to halt the release of monthly jobs reports until the bureau’s data collection can be “corrected.” He emphasized that the bureau should continue publishing quarterly reports, which he described as “more accurate, though less timely.”
The president’s allies argue that a pause on flawed reporting is preferable to allowing misleading statistics to shape the public’s perception of the economy.
They point to the July and August reports as evidence of systemic problems at the bureau under previous leadership.
Critics, particularly Democrats, are expected to resist Antoni’s nomination, warning that suspending monthly jobs reports would deprive markets and policymakers of vital economic data. But the White House has made clear that restoring trust in the numbers is a priority.
Trump has repeatedly suggested that his administration’s economic accomplishments are undermined by political appointees in key agencies.
By moving swiftly to replace McEntarfer and elevate Antoni, he is seeking not only to address the short-term credibility of the Bureau of Labor Statistics but also to underscore his broader campaign to root out what he sees as bias in the federal bureaucracy.
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