Former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner Erika McEntarfer delivered her first public remarks Tuesday since being dismissed by President Trump last month after a weak jobs report and large revisions to previous data. Speaking at Bard College’s Levy Economics Institute, McEntarfer described the shock of learning she had been fired through a reporter’s inquiry about Trump’s social media post calling for her removal.
“By the end of that day, I had been very publicly fired by the president of the United States and was on my way to becoming a household name,” she said, noting she later confirmed her termination through an official White House email.
Trump accused McEntarfer, a Biden appointee, of falsifying numbers for political reasons. Economists widely rejected that claim, stressing revisions are common and tied to delayed reporting. “I can vouch for the accuracy and independence of the work of the agency up until the moment I was fired,” McEntarfer said.
The White House defended the decision, arguing the BLS had failed to modernize its data collection and that the public deserves more accurate initial reports. McEntarfer agreed improvements were needed but warned that dismissing her undermined institutional independence. “Firing your chief statistician is a dangerous step,” she cautioned, comparing interference in economic data to disabling traffic lights.
Sources
Discover more from News Facts Network
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
