Trump Fires BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer After 73K Jobs Report, 258K Downward Revisions & Market Slump
Trump Fires BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer After 73K Jobs Report, 258K Downward Revisions & Market Slump
Key Takeaways
- President Trump fired BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer hours after July’s weak jobs report showed only 73,000 jobs added and massive downward revisions for May/June .
- Accusations without evidence: Trump claimed McEntarfer manipulated data to help Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, despite her Senate confirmation (86-8) and bipartisan respect .
- Markets recoiled: Stocks plunged (Dow -600 pts, Nasdaq -2%), Treasury yields fell, and Fed rate cut odds surged to 80% for September .
- Expert backlash: Economists called the firing “deeply worrisome,” stressing BLS data’s independence as the “gold standard” for global labor metrics .
- Context: Trump previously praised BLS reports when favorable and proposed an 8% staff cut at the agency earlier in 2025 .
The Phone Rang at Dawn
The phone rang at dawn. The kind of call that starts with silence and ends with a packed box on your desk. Erika McEntarfer knew the drill. Twenty years in the federal trenches, Census, Treasury, White House councils, teaches you the sound of endings. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) job is counting things. Jobs. Wages. Hours. The weight of numbers. Friday’s report landed like a bad joke: 73,000 jobs added in July. June’s number got hacked to 14,000. May bled 125,000 in revisions. The three-month average? 35,000. Stall speed .
Truth Social at 8 AM
Trump tapped his phone. A Truth Social post cut the air: “Biden Appointee Dr. Erika McEntarfer faked the Jobs Numbers before the Election.” No evidence. Just heat. He demanded her head, “IMMEDIATELY.” By lunch, her security pass died . Career staff at the BLS felt the old chill. The agency’s mission statement hangs in every hallway: “support public and private decision making.” Not today. Today, decisions came from a man who called Fed Chair Jerome Powell a “stubborn MORON” in the same breath .
- The sequence:
- Jobs report released at 8:30 AM.
- Trump’s post at 10:17 AM.
- McEntarfer escorted out by 11:45 AM .
Markets Eat Their Young
Traders smelled blood. The Dow dropped 600 points. The Nasdaq bled 2%. Bond yields cratered, 10-year Treasuries fell to 4.26%. “Not good. No way to sugarcoat that,” said Steve Sosnick of Interactive Brokers . Fed funds futures twisted: 80% odds for a September rate cut. Up from 40% yesterday. “Powell will regret holding steady,” spat Jamie Cox of Harris Financial Group. Recessions start like this, slow leaks no one patches in time .
The BLS Machine
The Bureau of Labor Statistics isn’t a casino. It’s a factory. Each month, 121,000 employers get calls. How many workers? What hours? Answers get shredded, weighted, seasonally adjusted. Revisions happen. Always have. It’s not conspiracy, it’s more data rolling in. Last August, they found 818,000 fewer jobs existed than first thought. Routine. Boring. Essential .
“Countries that fake statistics end up in economic crises,” said Jason Furman, Obama’s ex-adviser. “This is Venezuela stuff.”
McEntarfer’s Crime
Her sin? Publishing numbers that didn’t bend. July’s 73,000 jobs missed estimates by 31,000. The prior revisions, 258,000 jobs erased, stank of decay. Trump’s team called June’s original 147,000 a “June Boom.” The revised 14,000? Silence. McEntarfer, confirmed by 86 senators (including Vance), lasted 19 months. Her predecessor? 12 years .
The Wrecking Crew
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer backed the firing. “Major revisions raised concerns,” she tweeted. Economists recoiled. Mark Zandi of Moody’s: “I’ve never seen anything close to this.” Paul Schroeder of the stats council: “Grave error.” The BLS ranks are full of lifers, people who argue over decimal points. They don’t expect flowers. But they don’t expect knives either .
Powell’s Problem
Jerome Powell sat stiff Wednesday. Held rates steady. “Too soon to cut,” he said. Friday’s jobs report laughed at him. Traders priced in two 2024 cuts minimum. Atlanta Fed’s Raphael Bostic muttered about “troublesome positions.” Trump wants Powell “out to pasture.” The Fed chair’s crime? Not cutting rates fast enough for a president waging trade wars .
The New Numbers Game
Bill Wiatrowski runs the BLS now. Acting director. Obama-era hire. His first task: prep the August report under a president who called stats “political.” The White House blames “tariff uncertainty” and “border crackdowns” for the jobs slump. Economists see stall speed. 35,000 jobs won’t cover population growth. Not even close .
Virginia Senator Mark Warner: “Firing the ump doesn’t change the score.”
FAQs
Why did Trump fire the BLS commissioner?
He accused her, without evidence, of manipulating jobs data to help Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. The firing came hours after a weak July jobs report showed minimal growth (73,000 jobs) and massive downward revisions (-258,000) for May/June .
Are BLS revisions normal?
Yes. Monthly jobs data gets revised twice as more employer surveys arrive. Annual benchmarks align figures with unemployment insurance records. Revisions ensure accuracy, not political bias .
How did markets react?
Stocks plummeted (Dow -600, Nasdaq -2%), Treasury yields fell, and bets on a September Fed rate cut jumped to 80%. Traders fear the slowing labor market signals recession .
Was the jobs report really that bad?
July’s 73,000 jobs missed estimates (110,000). Combined with revisions, the 3-month average fell to 35,000, below the 100,000-150,000 needed to keep pace with population growth. Unemployment rose to 4.2% .
Can Trump legally fire the BLS commissioner?
Yes. The role serves at the president’s pleasure. However, firing a respected nonpartisan (confirmed 86-8 by the Senate) over unfavorable data breaks 80 years of statistical independence norms .