Trump Threatens to Fire BLS Commissioner After Disappointing Jobs Report

President TRUMP announced plans to dismiss Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner Erika McEntarfer following a weaker-than-expected July jobs report. The US economy added just 73,000 jobs last month, missing expectations as the unemployment rate rose to 4.2%.

More concerning were substantial downward revisions to May and June data, with 258,000 jobs erased from previous estimates. May's gains were slashed from 144,000 to 19,000, while June's figures plummeted from 147,000 to just 14,000. The BLS attributed these adjustments to updated business reports and seasonal recalculations.

Economists unanimously interpreted the data as evidence of a softening labor market, contradicting recent optimistic assessments from Federal Reserve officials. The developments could influence monetary policy decisions and macroeconomic forecasts in coming months.