Trump Fires Top Labor Statistician—And Sets a Dangerous New Precedent

Published: August 1, 2025 – 2:45 PM CST

Just hours after a disappointing jobs report showed the economy slowing down, Donald Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s not leadership—that’s manipulation.

Erika McEntarfer, a respected economist and career public servant, was removed simply for reporting the truth: hiring has dropped off over the last three months. That truth didn’t fit Trump’s narrative, so he got rid of her. He called her a “Biden appointee” and said the numbers were being “manipulated for political purposes.” But let’s be honest—what’s more political than firing the messenger when you don’t like the message?

This isn’t the first time Trump has tried to replace nonpartisan experts with loyalists who’ll say whatever he wants. And if he installs someone who’ll twist the job numbers just to make things look good, working families in Missouri and across the country will pay the price.

We rely on honest data to make good decisions—for our farms, our businesses, our schools, and our budgets. When our leaders try to rewrite reality, it doesn’t just hurt “the other side.” It hurts all of us.

Missourians deserve better than manipulated statistics. We deserve the truth—even when it’s inconvenient.

—Ricky Dana, Candidate for U.S. House, Missouri-4