The White House defended President Donald Trump’s abrupt dismissal of Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Commissioner Erika McEntarfer on Sunday, as critics warned the move could erode public trust in official U.S. economic data.
Speaking on national television, senior officials claimed Trump had “real concerns” about the accuracy of recent job figures and insisted that a change in leadership was necessary, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
Trump, who offered no evidence of wrongdoing, reiterated his accusations that McEntarfer had “faked the numbers” in recent jobs reports. He promised to appoint a new BLS commissioner — as well as a new Federal Reserve governor — “within the next three or four days.”
President Trump says he'll soon name a new labor statistics head after firing Erika McEntarfer over the last jobs report accusing her of faking jobs numbers https://t.co/1qfjhT1lQx pic.twitter.com/JOtPONZ0kw
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 4, 2025
The firing follows Friday’s BLS report, which included net downward revisions showing 258,000 fewer jobs were created in May and June than previously estimated. The revisions, according to the BLS, were routine and based on newly received data from businesses and government agencies.
White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told Fox News that Trump was right to seek “new leadership,” while U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer supported the president’s concerns, calling the recent data “deeply troubling.”
Meanwhile, McEntarfer addressed her dismissal in a post on the Bluesky platform, saying it had been “the honor of her life” to lead the BLS and commended the dedication of its civil servants.
The move sparked calls for a congressional investigation. Critics, including lawmakers and economists, say the firing threatens the credibility of federal data at a time when market volatility is already high due to Trump’s escalating trade measures.
Adding to the uncertainty, Federal Reserve Governor Adriana Kugler’s surprise resignation last week has left a vacancy on the central bank’s powerful board, potentially setting the stage for a turbulent leadership reshuffle amid already strained relations with the White House.
