President Trump defended his choice on Sunday to dismiss the Director of Labor Statistics (BLS) after a disappointing employment report was released.
On his social media platform, Trump described the poor job count from Friday as a prime example of mismanagement, claiming that BLS committee member Erika McEntarfer “has made the biggest miscalculation in over 50 years.”
He stated, “When the workers did the same thing just before the presidential election, she inflated the job numbers to a record high. I still won the election, and then she revised the figures downward, calling it a mistake.”
“She did it again and was fired for another massive ‘fix’!” Trump added.
In defense of McEntarfer’s termination, White House officials echoed similar sentiments just hours after revealing that the US created 73,000 jobs in July.
This announcement was followed by surprising adjustments to the job numbers for May and June, which reflected a loss of 258,000 more jobs than previously thought.
The decision to dismiss the labor statistics chief quickly drew backlash from lawmakers, who accused Democrats of trying to silence those who revealed the troubled state of the labor market during their time in power.
“It’s absolutely crazy. The economy is failing; he’s acting like a dictator,” remarked Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii).
Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) added, “Are you going to attack the messenger? There’s nothing wrong with him.”
Trump similarly contended that the job figures were “tailored to benefit Republicans.”
Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers referred to these claims as “silly” in an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” asserting that the numbers were compiled “by a team of hundreds of people, literally following the detailed instructions from the manual.”
“There’s no way the head of the BLS could have manipulated this data,” emphasized Summers, who has held top roles in the Clinton and Obama administrations. “The numbers align with various private sector sources.”
Summers expressed surprise that more officials haven’t resigned in response to the situation.
Former BLS chief William Beach warned that McEntarfer’s firing could “set a dangerous precedent and weaken the bureau’s statistical mission.”
McEntarfer, nominated by former President Biden, was confirmed last year by the GOP-led Senate with an 86-8 vote.
White House officials indicated that Trump seeks his own candidate to lead the department. “The president wants his people in charge, aiming for numbers that are more transparent and reliable,” said Kevin Hassett, chairman of the National Economic Council, on “Meet.”
