On Friday, former President Trump accused Dr. Erica Mantelfer, the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), of manipulating job numbers and called for her dismissal.
He pointed to disappointing employment data, stating that the revised reports for May and June indicated a decrease of 258,000 jobs compared to earlier estimates. Specifically, only 19,000 jobs were added in May—far lower than the previous figure of 144,000—while June saw a mere 14,000 jobs, significantly down from the originally reported 147,000. In July, the U.S. added 73,000 jobs. Over the last three months, total job growth reached just 106,000.
A management official, wishing to remain anonymous, confirmed to Hill that Mantelfer had indeed been dismissed from her position. A spokesperson from the BLS mentioned that Deputy Commissioner William Wiatrowski would step in as acting director until a replacement is appointed.
Mantelfer, who was nominated by Biden in 2023 and confirmed the following year, accused Trump of presenting “false” employment figures ahead of the 2024 election and claimed he was enhancing the prospects for former Vice President Harris in November.
Trump criticized the BLS, referencing previous exaggerations in employment growth, such as the 818,000 jobs reported in March 2024 and later numbers before the presidential elections. “Can anyone be that wrong?” he questioned, emphasizing the need for accurate job statistics.
Having worked for the federal government for over two decades, McEntarfer was confirmed with broad bipartisan support. Her background includes positions in the Department of Treasury, the President’s Office of Enforcement, and the Census Bureau.
She previously held the role of Longitudinal Employer and Household Dynamics Program Director at the Census Bureau and has academic credentials from Bard College and Virginia Tech.
In a separate post on True Society, Trump claimed that the employment report was designed to mislead and distort perceptions about Republican lawmakers. He referenced significant revisions to job numbers that followed the November 2024 election, suggesting they were manipulated.
While the BLS regularly adjusts job figures, the extent of Friday’s revisions raised eyebrows among investors and analysts after solid economic data earlier in the week. Some experts pointed out that factors like policy uncertainty, tariffs, and declining immigration have led to a softer labor market than previously thought.
Gathering economic data can be slow due to response rates and the vastness of the economy, and such delays do not imply data manipulation. The BLS noted that last August, a total of 818,000 jobs were revised upwards from earlier estimates.
Secretary Lori Chavez Deremar supported Trump’s decision to remove Mantelfer and confirmed that Wiatrowski would serve as acting head. She mentioned that recent major revisions had cast doubt on the decisions made under the Biden-appointed Labor Secretary.
However, William W. Beach, the former BLS head during Trump’s presidency, expressed opposition to this move, cautioning that it could undermine the agency’s statistical integrity and set a troubling precedent.
