Criticism is mounting after President Trump moved to oust the pinnacle of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on Friday following a dismal jobs report.
Trump accused BLS commissioner Erika McEntarfer, an appointee of former President Biden, of skewing job numbers within the newest report, which confirmed the U.S. including solely 73,000 jobs final month and the unemployment fee rising barely.
Revisions within the report additionally confirmed that the U.S. added 258,000 fewer jobs in Might and June than the Labor Division first reported, in response to BLS information.
“In my opinion, today’s Jobs Numbers were RIGGED in order to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad,” he wrote on Reality Social. Later, he referred to as for McEntarfer’s ouster, which sparked some backlash on Capitol Hill.
“Instead of helping people get good jobs, Donald Trump just fired the statistician who reported bad jobs data that the wanna-be king doesn’t like,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) posted on social platform X.
The gloomy jobs report raised severe questions concerning the power of the U.S. economic system, particularly in gentle of Trump’s sweeping tariffs, which have brought on anxieties within the international market.
Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) referred to as the president’s response “deeply irresponsible.”
“Firing the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics because they accurately report on your struggling economy isn’t just corrupt, it’s deeply irresponsible,” she wrote on-line. “Undermining our economic data is only going to create further chaos and uncertainty for our businesses big and small.”
Senate Minority Chief Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) additionally turned the tables again on Trump in a semi-mocking publish on X.
“BREAKING: I did some research into Trump’s Deep State and found this photo of the real government employee responsible for the job loss numbers,” Schumer wrote Friday, sharing a photograph of the president himself. “Trump must fire him immediately.”
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) reacted with an equally biting publish, providing her model of the timeline.
She wrote on X, “Step one: Trump tanks the economy. Step two: Data shows that Trump is tanking the economy. Step three: Trump fires the person who puts out economic data so that in the future, no one will know he’s still tanking the economy.”
Sen. Tammy Baldwin additionally weighed in, writing on social media that “Donald Trump has thrown our economy into chaos and is firing the messenger for telling us.”
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) additionally took a swing on the president for his response, calling it “one more step toward authoritarianism.”
“Truth being replaced by propaganda. This is what the Soviets did. This is a big deal, and we need to act like it,” Murphy wrote on X, alongside a video message. “Time for a fight.”
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) pressed her GOP colleagues to denounce Trump’s firing of the highest statistician.
“It is seriously dangerous territory when Trump fires anyone who doesn’t cook the books for him. The entire economy hinges on the accurate, nonpartisan data we get from the Bureau of Labor Statistics,” she wrote on-line. “Republicans need to join us in fighting to protect the integrity of BLS.”
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Sick.), who’s retiring on the finish of his time period, positioned blame for the dismal report on Trump’s commerce agenda. The remark got here as the most recent iteration of “reciprocal” tariffs on dozens of nations was set to enter impact Friday.
“President Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics because he didn’t like that the jobs report was weak—a direct result of his chaotic trade wars,” he wrote. “Utterly reckless, and a chilling reminder of his autocratic tendencies.”
Regardless of the criticism, Trump’s allies have largely stood behind his choice to sack McEntarfer, who has served within the publish since 2023. The president additionally accused the BLS chief of fabricating jobs numbers forward of the 2024 presidential election to “boost” former Vice President Harris’s possibilities of successful.
A BLS spokesperson, talking on situation of anonymity, confirmed to The Hill that McEntarfer was let go. Deputy commissioner William Wiatrowski is about to function appearing head till the administration finds a substitute.
