“I believe the numbers were phony. ... So, you know what I did? I fired her.”

Truth Social post and Oval Office remarks after firing BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer

Trump's own first-term BLS commissioner called the firing "totally groundless." William Beach, whom Trump appointed in 2019, said the dismissal "sets a dangerous precedent and undermines the statistical mission of the Bureau," and explained that a commissioner physically cannot rig the numbers: "By the time the commissioner sees the numbers, they're all prepared. They're locked into the computer system."

Trump fired Commissioner Erika McEntarfer hours after the August 1, 2025 jobs report showed weak growth of 73,000 jobs and routine downward revisions. FactCheck.org found no evidence of manipulation and noted Trump provided none. Revisions are standard statistical practice: under Trump's own first term, the 2019 annual revision cut 514,000 jobs, and the 2009 revision cut 902,000.

Trump's supporting story was also false: he claimed McEntarfer released "beautiful numbers" days before the 2024 election to help Kamala Harris, but the November 1, 2024 report actually showed dismal growth of just 12,000 jobs, which Trump's own campaign called "a catastrophe" and used as ammunition against Harris. McEntarfer, a career economist, had been confirmed 86-8 by the Senate, with JD Vance and Marco Rubio voting yes.

"The commissioner has no ability to change the numbers that come out of computers at the last minute." — Kathy Utgoff, former BLS Commissioner appointed by President George W. Bush