02.08.2025 01:56
Vice President JD Vance and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer swiftly refuted former President Trump's accusations of manipulated U.S. jobs data. This rebuttal came just moments before Trump, via a Truth Social post, announced the dismissal of Erika McEntarfer, head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Friday jobs report, revealing a significant decline in hiring, prompted a strategic response from Vance and Chavez-DeRemer. Rather than endorsing Trump's claims of fabricated data, they attempted to present a more optimistic interpretation. Vance, utilizing a graphic on X (formerly Twitter), highlighted an increase in jobs held by native-born workers and a corresponding decrease in those held by foreign-born workers, subtly suggesting a positive impact from Trump's immigration policies.
Chavez-DeRemer, in an earlier Bloomberg TV appearance, offered a different, yet equally contested, perspective. Despite acknowledging downward revisions to the data, she maintained that overall job growth remained positive, claiming the administration had created nearly half a million jobs since Trump's return to office, citing gains in construction and healthcare. However, this assertion lacks supporting evidence. Her defense of the figures preceded Trump's subsequent firing of the BLS chief.
The July jobs report itself painted a less rosy picture, indicating a mere 73,000 payroll increase. Further, significant downward revisions to previous months totaled nearly 260,000, resulting in a three-month average of only 35,000—the lowest since the pandemic. Chavez-DeRemer attributed these unexpected revisions primarily to the education and seasonal workforce sectors, stating that 62% of the revisions fell within these categories, suggesting a temporary fluctuation rather than a systemic issue. She also attempted to bolster the administration's economic narrative by referencing Trump's recent tax and spending bill and his use of tariffs to secure new trade deals.
In contrast to Chavez-DeRemer's efforts to maintain a positive narrative, Trump took a different tack, announcing the appointment of William Wiatrowski, the deputy commissioner, as acting commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics on X. This action underscores the stark disagreement within the administration regarding the interpretation and implications of the jobs report.
