President Donald Trump is facing a wave of backlash after abruptly firing Erika McEntarfer, head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), following the release of a disappointing jobs report.
The latest numbers showed the U.S. economy added only 73,000 jobs last month, while the unemployment rate ticked up. The BLS also revised previous estimates downward, revealing the economy added 258,000 fewer jobs in May and June than originally reported.
Trump immediately lashed out on social media.
“In my opinion, today’s Jobs Numbers were RIGGED in order to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad,” he wrote on Truth Social, accusing McEntarfer—a Biden-era appointee—of manipulating the data.
By Friday evening, McEntarfer was out. A BLS spokesperson confirmed her removal. Deputy Commissioner William Wiatrowski will step in as acting chief until a replacement is named.
Lawmakers wasted no time slamming Trump’s decision.
“Instead of helping people get good jobs, Donald Trump just fired the statistician who reported bad jobs data that the wanna-be king doesn’t like,” said Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) in a post on X.
Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) replied: “Firing the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics because they accurately report on your struggling economy isn’t just corrupt, it’s deeply irresponsible,” she wrote. “Undermining our economic data is only going to create further chaos and uncertainty for our businesses big and small.”
Others pointed to Trump’s own policies—especially his aggressive tariffs—as a cause for the weak economic numbers. Meanwhile, they say, firing the messenger only makes things worse.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said: “President Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics because he didn’t like that the jobs report was weak—a direct result of his chaotic trade wars. Utterly reckless, and a chilling reminder of his autocratic tendencies.”
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) warned of a deeper danger.
“Truth being replaced by propaganda,” Murphy wrote. “This is what the Soviets did. This is a big deal, and we need to act like it,” he wrote, calling the firing “one more step toward authoritarianism.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) took a sarcastic swipe at Trump, writing, “BREAKING: I did some research into Trump’s Deep State and found this photo of the real government employee responsible for the job loss numbers,” he posted with a picture of Trump. “Trump must fire him immediately.”
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) laid out what she saw as Trump’s strategy. “Step one: Trump tanks the economy. Step two: Data shows that Trump is tanking the economy. Step three: Trump fires the person who puts out economic data so that in the future, no one will know he’s still tanking the economy.”
Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) echoed that sentiment: “Donald Trump has thrown our economy into chaos and is firing the messenger for telling us.”
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) called on Republicans to stand up.
“It is seriously dangerous territory when Trump fires anyone who doesn’t cook the books for him,” she wrote. “The entire economy hinges on the accurate, nonpartisan data we get from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.”
Despite the outrage, Trump’s allies have stood by him. Some have echoed his baseless claim that McEntarfer was trying to help Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of the 2024 election by “faking” bad data.
No evidence has been presented to support that claim.
