Trump isn’t the first U.S. president to point fingers when faced with negative developments, as evidenced by his firing of Erica Mantelfer from the Bureau of Labor Statistics on August 1.
Back in 1969, when Richard Nixon became president, my uncle, Harold Goldstein, served on the vice-committee for Manpower and Employment Statistics. He penned a memoir (which I edited and published posthumously in 2007), detailing his unique position as Nixon was the only president to have worked at the BLS for 35 years and who, notably, engaged with government employees.
Labor Secretary George Schultz introduced Harold as the head of unemployment statistics, prompting Nixon to wave Harold’s hand and chuckle, “Let them go low!” Uncle Harold remarked that he found the president’s humor rather questionable.
Every time unemployment dipped, the administration pushed the BLS to highlight this positive news, but Uncle Harold maintained that these drops didn’t hold statistical significance. Ultimately, in July 1971, after yet another disagreement, Nixon concluded a press conference with BLS staff, stripping Harold of his reporting responsibilities.
In his memoir, Harold expressed his belief that Nixon felt all civil servants were manipulated by the Democratic administration to undermine him. He proudly recounted an incident documented in HR Haldeman’s Diary, where Nixon addressed his Cabinet.
Reflecting on his shift in duties, he shared, “I resigned. I was eligible for retirement, so I retired.” Not long after, Nixon himself resigned amid the Watergate scandal.
When Nixon wrote his memoirs, he was aware that he and his team were accused of being part of a “Jewish Cabal” aimed at improving his image. Harold opted not to address the mention of the “Cabal” in his writing.
This strain of anti-Semitism is well-documented, yet I believe Harold chose not to focus on it. For him, what was more alarming was the distrust shown toward someone who had dedicated 34 years of service across different administrations.
In a somewhat cryptic manner, Harold hinted at who the true “Vipers” were. I can’t help but wonder if Trump’s confrontational methods will ultimately yield the same results for him as they did for Nixon.
