Trump fires BLS commissioner over disappointing jobs report

President Trump said Friday that he directed his team to fire Erika McEntarfer, the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, after the agency released jobs numbers that were below Wall Street’s expectations and painted a subpar picture of the US economy.

The BLS reported nonfarm payrolls coming in at 73,000 in July, less than the expected 104,000, and issued major downward revisions to the prior two months. The data, along with tariffs and some disappointing earnings in megacap stocks, sent major indexes sliding.

A spokesperson for the BLS confirmed McEntarfer was terminated on Friday and said Deputy Commissioner William Wiatrowski will serve as acting commissioner.

Trump accused McEntarfer of fudging the numbers to undermine him and bolster Democrats, but did not provide any evidence. The president has recently lauded positive jobs reports released during McEntarfer’s tenure. The weak jobs numbers for July come as the administration has sought to fend off criticisms of how its shifting trade policies have impacted the economy.

“I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social. “She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified. Important numbers like this must be fair and accurate, they can’t be manipulated for political purposes.”