Claim by President Donald Trump:
On August 1, 2025, Trump claimed that the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) manipulated employment data to hurt him politically and announced the firing of BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer, a Biden appointee.
Explanation:
There is no evidence that the BLS manipulated job data. The agency operates with long-standing, nonpartisan methodologies to measure employment, inflation, and related statistics. The revised job figures Trump criticized—73,000 jobs added in July and downward revisions to May and June—are part of the agency’s routine and transparent revision process. These revisions are based on more complete data from employers over time.
Experts from across the political spectrum defended the BLS’s integrity. Former Trump-appointed BLS Commissioner William Beach and Obama-era Commissioner Erica Groshen called the manipulation claim “baseless” in a joint letter, warning that politicizing the agency undermines trust in federal statistics.
Economists note that BLS data is compiled by career civil servants using consistent methods. Trump’s prior accusations of “cooked” statistics have also been debunked, including a 2024 claim rated Pants on Fire.
Conclusion:
Fact or Fiction? Fiction. There is no evidence that the Bureau of Labor Statistics manipulated job data against Trump. The data revisions are standard, and the agency’s methodology remains unchanged and independent.
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