Trump Criticizes Labor Statistics Ahead of Election
On Sunday, President Trump alleged that the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) was artificially inflating job numbers to create a record high just before the upcoming presidential election. This statement came shortly after a shooting incident, adding to the day’s tense atmosphere.
He mentioned, “The Director of Labor Statistics has done this before an election. She raised her job count to an unprecedented level.” It seemed as if Trump was reminiscing about past events, stating, “I won the election anyway, and she adjusted the numbers downward, claiming there was a mistake that nearly cost us a million jobs.”
Furthermore, the president characterized the BLS Commissioner, Erica Mantelfer, as having made “miscalculations” that were unprecedented in over fifty years. “Scam!” he emphatically stated. “She did it again, making another massive ‘correction’ and was fired! This was the biggest miscalculation in five decades.” There seemed to be a mix of disbelief and frustration in his voice.
Trump’s remarks came just days after he criticized the BLS for reporting fewer job additions than anticipated for July, coupled with a downward adjustment in previous figures. It’s funny, not funny, but just strange how numbers can shift like that, leaving everyone questioning what’s real.
He also accused Mantelfer of manipulating employment data in a way that could bolster chances for Democrats during the election. “We’ve been informed that the so-called ‘employment numbers’ are concocted by Biden’s appointee, Dr. Erica Mantelfer. They allegedly tried to pump up job numbers before the election to increase Kamala’s chances of winning,” he commented.
Earlier in the day, Kevin Hassett, who heads the National Economic Council, backed Trump’s call to dismiss Mantelfer, linking it to what he termed a “partisan pattern” in the job reports released by the BLS. This ongoing controversy is being fueled by the recent BLS announcement that only 74,000 jobs were added in July, which fell short of the economists’ projections of 110,000.
Additionally, there were significant downward revisions for the employment figures in prior months. For instance, May’s job creation was slashed from 125,000 to just 19,000, while June’s figures were decreased to 133,000. Quite a roller coaster ride for those keeping track!
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics did not provide a comment immediately following these allegations. It leaves one to wonder what the real situation is, doesn’t it?
