Trump’s Reckless Firing of BLS Chief is His Latest Cringe Move
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is an essential source of economic data, staffed by professionals who crunch numbers without bias. President Trump fired BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer on August 1, 2025, hours after a weak jobs report showed just 73,000 jobs added in July, far below expectations of around109,000. The report also revised May and June job numbers downward by a combined 258,000, unsurprising amid the agitation caused by Trump’s tariffs.
Trump's baseless claim on Truth Social that McEntarfer “faked the Jobs Numbers before the Election to try and boost Kamala’s chances of Victory,” without providing evidence, only deepens the damage. Not only was there zero evidence, but Trump’s immediate statement of “fake,” before he had any time to even look into the issue, make him a laughing stock. His snap judgment, without investigation, and intent to install loyalists to manipulate BLS data undermine a trusted agency.
Furthermore, Trump’s ludicrous promise to “fix” the BLS is just preposterous. Any reform would require an impartial, bipartisan committee to maintain trust, but that’s clearly not his plan. If he doesn’t recant, he’s torching the credibility of a cherished agency we’ve relied on for decades.
The real damage here isn’t just the firing; it’s the chaos Trump’s broad-strokes approach creates. The BLS relies on thousands of career staffers pounding the pavement to gather data on jobs, inflation, and wages. Quality is critical, but so is quantity—fewer people means less accurate data, like a census not having enough staff to count everyone. Trump’s mass layoffs across federal agencies, including the BLS, have already forced cuts in data collection, weakening reports like the Consumer Price Index. His claim that numbers are “rigged” and “manipulated for political purposes,” as he posted on X, ignores the routine revisions BLS makes for accuracy, a process economists across the spectrum defend. You don’t fix bloat by slashing indiscriminately—you use a scalpel, not a chainsaw.
Trump’s actions have done something unprecedented in U.S. history: he’s besmirched the credibility of a globally respected information-gathering institution that America has long been known for. Firing McEntarfer, a respected economist confirmed 86-8 by the Senate, over a routine report he didn’t like shows he’s more interested in scapegoats than in seriously analyzing the reliability of the data. Economists like William Beach, his own former appointee, called the move “groundless,” warning it risks public trust in data that drives markets and policy. Trump’s claim that numbers are “rigged” and “manipulated for political purposes” ignores standard BLS revisions, and his broader pattern of flouting norms—like defying the Supreme Court’s TikTok ruling —only erodes his reputation further. This isn’t leadership; it’s a reckless assault on the truth we all depend on. With moves like these, Trump tars his reputation and legacy and drags down with him the responsible voices on his team who enable his lunacy by not pushing back.