Topline
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer on Friday confirmed the firing of Biden-area appointee Erika McEntarfer, the commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, after a weak jobs report showed a steep drop off in positions added in July and eliminated hundreds of thousands of previously reported gains.
US President Donald Trump points as he speaks in the White House on July 31, 2025.
AFP via Getty Images
Key Facts
Trump ranted against McEntarfer in a Truth Social post and lodged accusations that she manipulated the jobs numbers during the 2024 election to benefit Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
The president has long criticized the Bureau for its jobs data and revisions, specifically pointing to a revision made Friday that cut a combined 258,000 jobs from the counts of the two months prior, indicating a weaker market than previously thought.
He also called out two revisions made in 2024, one in March that revised numbers over the 12 months prior down more than 800,000, and one made just before the election that wiped out a combined 112,000 jobs across August and September of 2024.
It’s not at all uncommon for the BLS to revise numbers as additional payroll data becomes available and initial estimates rarely tell the full story—the Bureau’s third and final revision is considered the most accurate.
Trump said McEntarfer will be replaced with someone “much more competent and qualified.”
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Crucial Quote
“In my opinion, today’s Jobs Numbers were RIGGED in order to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad,” Trump posted to Truth Social Friday. “A TOTAL SCAM. Jerome “Too Late” Powell is no better! But, the good news is, our Country is doing GREAT!”
Key Background
Friday’s jobs report showed that only 73,000 nonfarm jobs were added last month, well below economists’ projections, and that the unemployment rate rose slightly to 4.2%. June and May totals were also revised sharply lower, dropping to 14,000 from 147,000 in June and to 19,000 from 125,000 for May. An average of 130,000 jobs added per month this year is the weakest since the January to June period in 2010, in the wake of the Great Recession. An average of 168,000 jobs were added per month last year. A report from earlier this week from the career services firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas blamed job losses on tariffs, implementation of artificial intelligence and cuts made within the federal government.
What To Watch For
If the weak report pushes the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates. The Fed on Wednesday voted to hold rates in place, despite harsh and constant criticism from the president, but the new numbers could push officials to make a change when they meet in September.
Further Reading
ForbesUnemployment Rose To 4.2% In July As Hiring Fell SharplyBy Ty RoushForbes2025 Job Cuts Have Already Surpassed All Of 2024—DOGE, AI And Tariffs Are Biggest CausesBy Mary Whitfill Roeloffs
