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Economists said ousting the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics could undermine confidence in government economic data.
Aug. 1, 2025Updated 5:22 p.m. ET
President Trump unleashed his fury about weakness in the labor market on Friday, saying without evidence that the data were “rigged” and that he was firing the Senate-confirmed Department of Labor official responsible for pulling together the numbers each month.
In a long post on social media on Friday, Mr. Trump said he had directed his team to fire Erika McEntarfer, the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, who was confirmed on a bipartisan basis in 2024.
Dr. McEntarfer was fired on Friday and informed of her firing, according to a person familiar with the matter who declined to be named.
Mr. Trump’s post came after the bureau released monthly jobs data showing surprisingly weak hiring in July and large downward revisions to job growth in the previous two months. Economists widely interpreted the report as evidence that Mr. Trump’s policies were beginning to take a toll on the economy, though the president insisted in a subsequent post that the country was “doing GREAT!”
Lori Chavez-DeRemer, the labor secretary, echoed Mr. Trump’s concerns about Dr. McEntarfer in a post on social media. She said William Wiatrowski, the deputy commissioner, would serve as acting commissioner during the search for Dr. McEntarfer’s replacement.
Dr. McEntarfer was appointed to her post by President Joseph R. Biden Jr. in 2023 and confirmed by the Senate in 2024, after a long career at the Census Bureau and other agencies, where she served under presidents of both parties, including Mr. Trump.
