President Donald Trump said Friday he had ordered the firing of Erika McEntarfer, the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics who was appointed by his predecessor Joe Biden, hours after her office released data showing sluggish job growth over the past four months.
The bureau’s latest report put job growth for July at 73,000, well under expectations of around 100,000 new positions. BLS also revised downward by 258,000 previously published job numbers for April, May and June.
“We need accurate Jobs Numbers. I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY. She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, while also alleging that McEntarfer’s office “faked” 2024 numbers to boost Kamala Harris in last year’s election.
