On August 1, 2025, the day the Bureau of Labor Statistics released a July jobs report showing 73,000 new jobs and 258,000 fewer jobs in May and June than previously estimated, Trump posted on Truth Social, “I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY,” removing Erika McEntarfer as Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Former BLS Commissioner Erica Groshen called it an “unprecedented, abrupt dismissal of the Commissioner in response to news that was unwelcome to the President,” and the Consortium of Social Science Associations called it an “unprecedented removal of a Congressionally-approved agency head.” The firing came after July's jobs report showed disappointing numbers that contradicted Trump's economic messaging. Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers called it “way beyond anything Richard Nixon ever did.” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick subsequently told federal statisticians that independence is “nonsense,” contradicting fundamental principles of statistical integrity.
The Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics warned the firing “undermines the independence and reliability of federal statistics.” Trump nominated EJ Antoni, a Heritage Foundation economist and January 6 participant, as replacement, but withdrew the nomination after CNN revealed Antoni's deleted Twitter account with offensive content.
Correction (October 27, 2026): this entry dated the firing August 15, 2025. The Bureau of Labor Statistics released the July report on Friday, August 1, 2025, and Trump's Truth Social post ordering the firing came the same day, as the AP reported that afternoon; the date and key facts have been corrected. The entry also said she was the first BLS Commissioner ever fired in the agency's 140-year history; no source in the record states that, so the claim now reads as the sources put it: unprecedented, in the words of former commissioner Erica Groshen (Newsweek) and the Consortium of Social Science Associations.