Trump Appoints Dr. Eji Antoni as BLS Commissioner

On Monday, President Donald Trump revealed that he has chosen Dr. Eji Antoni, a conservative economist, to be the new commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). This decision comes after Trump indicated on August 1 that he had instructed his team to dismiss the former BLS commissioner, Erica Mantelfer, following a report that 73,000 non-farm payroll jobs were added in July.

In his announcement via a social media post, Trump emphasized that Antoni’s appointment would ensure that job numbers released in the future are “honest and accurate.” He stated, “I am pleased to announce that we have appointed highly respected economist Dr. Eji Antoni as the next commissioner for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Our economy is booming and we guarantee that EJ is honest and accurate.”

Regarding Mantelfer’s termination, Trump accused her of “falsifying work numbers” just before the upcoming 2024 presidential election, suggesting this might aid the former vice president, Kamala Harris.

Antoni, who has been the chief economist at the Heritage Foundation, has previously criticized BLS job figures, remarking that some reports appeared to be “random number generators.” He made those comments in May.

The limited job growth reflected in the July BLS report follows a downward adjustment of a total of 258,000 jobs recorded in May and June. According to a White House press release, the administration noted that the BLS also revised employment data during Biden’s presidency throughout 2024. This included a significant downward revision involving 818,000 jobs for annual benchmark salary growth, which was the second-largest revision on record.

The White House criticized Mantelfer, citing a longstanding issue of inaccuracy and incompetence that it claims has eroded public faith in government agencies responsible for providing essential data for policymakers and businesses.