On January 8, 2026, Trump posted a chart on Truth Social that included figures from the yet-to-be-released December 2025 employment report, approximately 12 hours before the official 8:30 AM Friday release. University of Michigan economist Justin Wolfers called it 'unprecedented'—“No prior White House had ever released market-moving jobs data ahead of schedule.” The White House acknowledged it was an 'inadvertent public disclosure of aggregate data that was partially derived from pre-released information." Office of Management and Budget policy dating from mid-1985 bars executive branch officials from commenting on or releasing market-moving economic statistics prior to official publication.
Federal economic data is held under strict embargo because it can move financial markets—providing some investors with advance access creates an unfair trading advantage. Former BLS Commissioner Erica Groshen noted that laws provide for up to five years in jail or $250,000 fine for breaching data security before release time. The White House said it was 'reviewing protocols," but no investigation or penalties were announced.