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The move comes after the Bureau of Labor Statistics released its monthly report, showing that the US economy added just 73,000 jobs in July, well below market expectations.
US President Donald Trump. (File Photo)
US President Donald Trump has dismissed Erika McEntarfer, the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), accusing her, without providing evidence, of manipulating employment data for “political purposes”, CNN reported.
The move came after the BLS released its monthly labour report on Friday, showing that the US economy added just 73,000 jobs in July, well below market expectations. The report also included significant downward revisions for May and June, with previously reported job gains reduced by a combined 258,000 positions. These adjustments marked the weakest three-month hiring period since the 2020 pandemic-induced recession, according to CNN.
Reacting to the data, Trump wrote on Truth Social: “In my opinion, today’s Jobs Numbers were RIGGED in order to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad.”
He further said: “McEntarfer said there were only 73,000 Jobs added (a shock!) but, more importantly, that a major mistake was made by them, 2,58,000 Jobs downward, in the prior two months… The Economy is BOOMING under ‘TRUMP.'”
Trump accused McEntarfer of intentionally “faking” job numbers ahead of the 2024 presidential election to benefit former Vice President Kamala Harris.
“We’re doing so well. I believe the numbers were phony, just like they were before the election, and there were other times. So, you know what I did? I fired her, and you know what? I did the right thing,” Trump told reporters Friday on the South Lawn, according to CNN.
While the downward revisions were notable, experts point out that such adjustments are a normal part of the BLS reporting process. Initial monthly jobs estimates often rely on incomplete data and are revised twice in subsequent months, followed by an annual revision. Moreover, the BLS employs a formula to adjust for seasonal employment patterns, which can lead to larger-than-expected changes when actual hiring trends diverge from norms, CNN explained.
Despite this standard methodology, Trump described the BLS revisions as a “mistake”.
Haris is Deputy News Editor (Business) at news18.com. He writes on various issues related to personal finance, markets, economy and companies. Having over a decade of experience in financial journalism, Haris h…Read More
Haris is Deputy News Editor (Business) at news18.com. He writes on various issues related to personal finance, markets, economy and companies. Having over a decade of experience in financial journalism, Haris h… Read More
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