U.S. President Donald Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday. Trump accuses Erika McEntarfer of manipulating employment figures, without providing any evidence.
The announcement follows the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) jobs report earlier in the day. It shows that job growth in the United States in July was much lower than expected, while figures for May and June were revised sharply downwards.
Trump accuses McEntarfer of manipulating figures for political reasons, without providing any evidence. He claims that the figures have been adjusted to “put Republicans in a bad light”.
“I have instructed my team to immediately undo this Biden political appointment. She will be replaced by someone much more competent and qualified,” Trump said.
According to The New York Times, economists see the disappointing figures as evidence that Trump’s policies are beginning to take their toll on the American economy. However, the president maintains that the country is doing “fantastic”.
According to BLS data, only 73,000 jobs were added in July. In the two months prior, after a correction, 258,000 fewer jobs were added than previously thought. This means that the lowest number of jobs has been added in this three-month period since the corona recession in 2020, writes CNN.
McEntarfer was nominated by then-President Joe Biden as head of the bureau in 2023 and confirmed by the Senate a year later.
Her predecessor, William Beach, who was appointed during Trump’s first term, calls the dismissal “unfounded” and warns that it sets a “dangerous precedent.” The statistics office is known inside and outside the US for its independence, but there are now fears that this reputation has been damaged.
On Friday, Trump also lashed out again at Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. He said that Powell “should also retire.” The chairman of the central bank refuses to lower interest rates against the will of the president. Both incidents fit into the trend in which Trump criticizes government institutions and researchers when they do not support his policies.