President Donald Trump ordered the removal of the Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner Friday over the jobs numbers report that came out earlier in the day because "we didn't believe the numbers," he told Newsmax, adding she was "very suspect."
Trump fired Erika McEntarfer, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden, after data showed employment growth was weaker than expected last month.
In an exclusive interview with "Finnerty" host Rob Finnerty at the White House on Friday, Trump said "[w]e have had problems in the past" with McEntarfer.
"We had problems even before the election," Trump said. "You remember those wonderful results that were put out just before the election and everybody said, 'Where do they come from?'"
In a Truth Social post earlier Friday, Trump wrote, "This is the same Bureau of Labor Statistics that overstated the Jobs Growth in March 2024 by approximately 818,000 and, then again, right before the 2024 Presidential Election, in August and September, by 112,000."
It's the same person, Trump told Finnerty.
"This was before the election, where she got — meaning Kamala [Harris]; we thought it was Biden but turned out being Kamala — where they got very, very strong numbers. I said, 'What's this all about?' And ... then later on they adjusted them, I guess, downward," Trump said.
Trump didn't believe Friday's report either.
"I don't believe those numbers, I think, because we're doing so well, and we fired her," he said. "I was thinking this morning when I saw the numbers, I said, 'Who makes these numbers anyway?' ... and when I checked, I said, 'This person is very suspect to me.'"
Trump added, "We want straight numbers. We don't want to take any chances. We don't want to play any games."
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Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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