McEntarfers has an impressive background in economics, She was highly qualified for the position of Commissioner of Labor Statistics when then-President Biden nominated her in July of 2023. In January of 2024, her appointment was confirmed by the United States Senate in a bipartisan 86-8 vote. At the time, her nomination was supported by Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, both former senators, representing Ohio and Florida respectively.
Dr. McEntarfer performed her job without incident until she ran afoul of Donald Trump. She was summarily fired because she told the truth, and it was not what Trump wanted to hear. So, he shot the messenger. She was blamed for his administration's failings.
What exactly did McEntarfer do to upset Trump, you may wonder? Well, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which she heads, released data that was unfavourable to the Trump administration. The agency published a report showing that the unemployment rate in the United States had risen to 4.3%. for the month of July 2025, a slight increase from 4.2% in June. However, employers had only created 73,000 jobs in the month of July, falling far short of the 109,000 forecasted by the White House, The BLS also revised the employment statistics for May and June by more than 250,000.
Trump was furious In a social media post, he claimed that August 1st's jobs report figures were "RIGGED" in order to make the president and Republican lawmakers "look bad." "We need accurate Jobs Numbers," he posted, "I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY. She will be replaced by someone much more competent and qualified. Important numbers like this must be fair and accurate. They can't be manipulated for political purposes."
William W. Beach, the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics during Donald Trump's first term in office, is strongly opposed to Trump's decision to fire McEntarfer. He contends that it sets a "dangerous precedent and undermines the statistical mission of the Bureau."
According to Arin Dube, an economist at the University of Masschusetts-Amherst, "Firing the Commissioner . . . when the BLS revises job numbers down (as it routinely does) threatens to destroy trust in core American institutions, and all American government statistics. I can't stress how damaging this is."
There was an immediate backlash from Democrats over the firing. They accused the Trump administration of politicizing economic data. In a floor speech soon after Trump's post, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said, "What does a bad leader do when they get bad news? Shoot the messenger." David Axelrod, a top aid to former president Barack Obama, mocked Trump for firing McEntarfer over an abysmal job report. "From now on, all job numbers will be coming from a guy who says he's 6'3 and weighs 215," read the caption Axelrod posted beside an unflattering photo of Trump in his golf attire.
Donald Trump's firing of Dr. McEntarfer is not only concerning. It is frightening. It is so Orwellian in nature, right out of the 1984 playbook. It appears that Trump intends to turn the Bureau of Statistics into a propaganda machine for his regime. The removal of McEntarfer is consistent with his authoritarian agenda. Alarm bells are ringing, American democracy is in grave danger.
- Joanne
