President Donald Trump has fired the Commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, after accusing her – without providing evidence– of altering monthly jobs reports for political purposes, including to help former Vice President Kamala Harris’ chances of victory.
The demand to fire the commissioner, Dr. Erika McEntarfer, came after a lackluster July report – and adjusted numbers for previous months – put the administration on the defensive. The report, released Friday morning, showed slowed hiring, with U.S. employers adding 73,000 non-farm jobs, far short of the expected 105,000 jobs added.
“We need accurate Jobs Numbers,” Trump wrote in a post to Truth Social. “I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY. 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.”