Kevin O’Leary Critiques Trump’s Reaction to Job Growth Report

Kevin O’Leary, known for his role on “Shark Tank,” expressed his disapproval of President Trump’s recent actions concerning the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). His remarks came after Trump suggested that the head of the BLS be terminated following a report showing a drop in job growth.

Earlier in the day, Trump had criticized Commissioner Erica Mantelfer on social media, claiming she altered the job report to benefit former Vice President Harris in the November election. He instructed his team to swiftly dismiss Biden’s appointees as well.

Mantelfer is now set to leave her position almost three years ahead of her expected term’s conclusion.

On CNN, O’Leary stated, “We didn’t have a good print on our work. I can’t agree with slapping the commissioner. I don’t like it.” He added, “It doesn’t make sense to blame a statistician. I don’t shoot the messenger.”

While O’Leary has generally supported Trump’s policies, particularly in terms of his unconventional trade negotiations, he voiced concerns about the current market uncertainty. He noted that key U.S. trading partners had not fully engaged in trade, which adds to the tension. “It’s not wise to impose a 35% tariff on Canada. Unless there’s something extraordinary going on, we know that’s being introduced in a rather abrupt manner,” he remarked.

He emphasized that such volatility could impact future revenues, yet much of the recent data from job and trade reports should be viewed as just “noise.” “We don’t base decisions on one report,” he added.

The employment data released on Friday indicated an addition of 73,000 jobs, but it also revised the previously reported job growth figures for May and June downwards by 200,000—revealing a substantial calculation error.

Trump laid the blame for these discrepancies at Mantelfer’s feet. He insisted that critical statistics must be presented accurately and not manipulated for political motivations. In a post, he noted, “Mcentarfer reported only 73,000 new jobs (shockingly!), but more critically, 258,000 jobs were revised down in the last two months.” He lamented similar trends from earlier in the year, claiming the economy thrived under his leadership.

However, critics pointed out that Trump’s criticism of the BLS commissioner undermines governmental credibility. Max Stier, CEO of the Nonpartisan Partnership for Public Services, stated, “President Trump is again damaging the credibility of our government by dismissing experts and nonpartisan officials who displease him with the facts.” He warned that such a governmental approach could lead to serious issues in the future.