Chalian replied: “That is nothing new for Donald Trump. This is behavior we’ve seen before and it feeds into this whole notion of the deep state and the concern that government officials are working against him.”
The Chief and Political Director of CNN continued: “He accused this woman and this agency of cooking the books last year in the campaign to benefit Kamala Harris, again, without evidence. I take the point that yes, this is a human being and Donald Trump is not a stranger to being impervious to that.”
Erika McEntarfer, the Bureau of Labor Statistics Director who was appointed by former President Joe Biden, was dismissed after a report showed hiring had slowed in July and was significantly weaker in May and June than originally recorded.
Taking to his social media platform, Trump alleged the statistics had been doctored for political purposes and declared that McEntarfer would be terminated. He offered no proof to support his assertion.
“I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified.”
He then asserted: “In my opinion, today’s Jobs Numbers were RIGGED in order to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad.”
Following Trump’s initial declaration, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer verified on X that McEntarfer had been ousted from her position at the bureau, with William Wiatrowski assuming control as the acting director. “I support the President’s decision to replace Biden’s Commissioner and ensure the American People can trust the important and influential data coming from BLS,” Chavez-DeRemer said.
Offering his perspective, former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers remarked: “Firing the head of a key government agency because you don’t like the numbers they report, which come from surveys using long established procedures, is what happens in authoritarian countries, not democratic ones.”
McEntarfer described her tenure as commissioner as “the honour of my life”, while characterizing the agency’s work as “vital and important”.