Trump Lashes Out Over Job Numbers... Fallout After Firing BLS Chief

Bureau Chief Dismissed After July Employment Figures Fall Short of Expectations
Public Opinion Turns Cold... Former Officials and Republicans Also Criticize
White House Steps In to Explain... Defends President

Donald Trump, President of the United States, dismissed Erica McEntarfer, Director of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) under the Department of Labor, on the 1st (local time). Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

On August 3 (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated that his decision last week to dismiss the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), a division of the Department of Labor, was justified, claiming that the official had made "the worst error in 50 years."

President Trump stated on Truth Social, his self-created social networking service, "Erica McEntaffer did the same thing right before the presidential election, inflating the job numbers to historic highs, but I still won the election." He continued, "Then, nearly one million jobs were 'corrected' as a 'mistake.' This is a SCAM," he asserted.

White House officials also supported President Trump's stance, arguing that the job numbers could not be trusted. Jamieson Greer, U.S. Trade Representative, said on CBS that day, "The President had serious concerns about this data." Kevin Hassett, Chairman of the National Economic Council (NEC), also sided with the President, stating, "The President was right to call for new leadership."

These remarks from President Trump and his aides came after public opinion worsened regarding the dismissal of the BLS head. On August 1, the Department of Labor announced that the number of jobs added in July was only 73,000, which is significantly lower than the market expectation of 100,000. In addition, the employment figures for May and June were revised downward from 291,000 to 33,000, a decrease of 258,000. President Trump immediately responded by calling these "manipulated numbers" and dismissed McEntaffer just a few hours after the announcement. However, he did not present any concrete evidence.

Former officials and key members of Congress have spoken out publicly. Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers said in an NBC interview that Trump's claims were "nonsense," adding, "There is no way for the BLS chief to manipulate the numbers. These figures are consistent with private sector indicators." Former BLS Commissioner William Beach also expressed concern on social media, saying, "This dismissal sets a dangerous precedent and undermines the statistical mission of the BLS."

Even key figures within the Republican Party, who usually cooperate closely with the White House in managing state affairs, have raised objections. Senator Cynthia Lummis pointed out, "If the President fires the statistics chief just because he doesn't like the numbers, even though the numbers are correct, that's a problem." Senator Thom Tillis commented, "If he fired someone just because he didn't like the numbers, he needs to grow up." Senator Rand Paul also stated in an NBC interview, "Firing the people who count the numbers doesn't make the numbers any better or different."