Trump Fires Head of Bureau of Labor Statistics After Poor Jobs Report

United States President Donald Trump has fired the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics yesterday after claiming that the latest jobs report was rigged, with the president strongly denying the results of the report.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics is the government department responsible for publishing various reports each month, including unemployment, wages, prices, and productivity. One of the most important of these surveys is the jobs report, which gives an overview of how many jobs were added or lost over the last month and how that change affected unemployment, wages, and other aspects of the workforce.

This month, as Trump continues to impose tariffs on other nations to bring manufacturing back to the US, the jobs report seemed to have taken a hit. Economists expected job growth to slow down in July, with projections estimating an addition of around 115,000 jobs, but the report showed that the numbers were even lower-- just 73,000 jobs were added in the month of July.

Additionally, the bureau also revised the statistics for the two months prior, which had displayed a gain of 144,000 jobs for May and 147,000 for June. However, the revision brought those numbers down to 19,000 and 14,000, respectively, bringing the combined total for both months down by a staggering 258,000 jobs. Economists swiftly placed the blame on Trump's tariffs, which they claim are stalling the economy-- June's revised report, at 14,000 new jobs, is the worst since December 2020, when the market was still losing jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Stock markets were also affected by the report, with the Dow shedding 542 points in a 1.23% drop. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 dropped by 101 points, falling 1.60%, and the NASDAQ Composite fell 472 points in a 2.24% plunge.

Nevertheless, Trump took action, firing the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Dr. Erika McEntarfer within hours. The president quickly claimed that the entire statement was rigged and brushed off the report on social media, declaring that the American economy was in perfect shape. McEntarfer was appointed by former President Joe Biden in 2023 and was confirmed to lead the bureau until 2027 after she was approved by the Senate in January 2024, but Deputy Commissioner William Wiatrowski will now take her place for the time being as a new commissioner is selected.

Many Democrats and other government officials have heavily criticized Trump's actions, as they believe that it could negatively affect the public's trust in government reports and statistics. However, the Trump administration has defended his decision, arguing that the report was rigged and that he made the right move in firing the woman who allegedly manipulated it.

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