❓WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump has fired Erika McEntarfer, the Joe Biden-appointed Commissioner of Labor Statistics, after the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released multiple jobs reports dating back to well before the 2024 election that overstate labor market growth.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Donald Trump, Erika McEntarfer, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, and Fed Governor Christopher Waller.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Statements were made via Truth Social on August 1, 2025, addressing July 2025 jobs data and jobs reports leading up to the 2024 election.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Important numbers like this must be fair and accurate, they can’t be manipulated for political purposes.” – Donald Trump
🎯IMPACT: The controversy has reignited debates over the politicization of economic data and the Federal Reserve’s continued obstinacy toward reducing interest rates.
President Donald J. Trump has taken aim at the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and its now former Commissioner, Dr. Erika McEntarfer, claiming that job numbers have been continually and intentionally manipulated to favor Democrats since before the 2024 election. Trump announced McEntarfer’s firing via Truth Social, citing significant errors in job data revisions.
“I was just informed that our Country’s ‘Jobs Numbers’ are being produced by a Biden Appointee, Dr. Erika McEntarfer, the Commissioner of Labor Statistics, who faked the Jobs Numbers before the Election to try and boost Kamala’s chances of Victory,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. He highlighted that the BLS overstated job growth by 818,000 in March 2024 and by 112,000 in August and September 2024, calling these errors “records” and unacceptable.
Trump further stated, “Important numbers like this must be fair and accurate, they can’t be manipulated for political purposes.” He also criticized Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, who—along with the central bank’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC)—once again declined to lower interest rates during the FOMC’s July meeting. “Jerome ‘Too Late’ Powell should also be put ‘out to pasture,’” Trump added.
Earlier on Friday, the BLS released significant downward revisions to labor market data for May and June. Meanwhile, July’s jobs numbers fell well below expectations. Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller, a member of the FOMC, made the unprecedented move to publish an official statement blasting his colleagues’ hesitancy to slash borrowing costs. “When labor markets turn, they often turn fast. If we find ourselves needing to support the economy, waiting may unduly delay moving toward appropriate policy,” Waller warned.
The Secretary of Labor, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, backed President Trump’s decision to oust McEntarfer. “A recent string of major revisions has come to light and raised concerns about decisions being made by the Biden-appointed Labor Commissioner,” Chavez-DeRemer wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter), suggesting possible malfeasance by McEntarfer. She continued: “I support the President’s decision to replace Biden’s Commissioner and ensure the American People can trust the important and influential data coming from BLS.”
“During the search for a replacement, Deputy Commissioner William Wiatrowski will serve as Acting Commissioner,” the Labor Secretary announced.
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