White House Economic Council director Kevin Hassett firmly defended President Donald Trump’s decision to fire the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) commissioner, Erika McEntarfer, during an interview with NBC host Kristen Welker. Welker confronted Hassett, asking whether the move represented ‘shooting the messenger,’ a criticism levied by former BLS commissioner William Beach, who argued it set a dangerous precedent for data integrity.
Hassett dismissed the notion, arguing that the firing was a necessary step to restore trust in the accuracy of economic data. He emphasized that the BLS’s recent revisions to the jobs report, which showed a stark divergence from economists’ estimates, needed fresh oversight. ‘We didn’t get that long report explaining what happened,’ he said. ‘Goldman Sachs and people on Wall Street are wondering where these revisions are coming from and why they keep happening.’ Hassett suggested that the White House’s demand for transparency was essential to ensuring economic data reliability.
The BLS reported on Friday that 74,000 jobs were added in July, falling short of the 110,000 estimate by economists. The report also revised previous job numbers downward, adjusting May’s gains from 125,000 to 19,000 and June’s figures from 133,000 to 14,000. According to the BLS, these revisions were the largest since March 2021, when the agency revised data during the initial stages of the coronavirus pandemic.
Welker pressed Hassett on whether there was ‘hard evidence’ that the jobs report was ‘rigged,’ as Trump had claimed. Hassett pointed to historical revisions as evidence, including the 818,000 adjustment to the job numbers following former President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race in 2024. He argued that the president’s priority was to ensure data transparency, stating, ‘The president wants his own people there so that when we see the numbers they are more transparent and more reliable.’
Welker also raised the question of whether Trump would fire anyone who reported data he disagreed with. Hassett responded by reaffirming the administration’s commitment to ensuring data integrity, insisting that the president wanted trusted personnel at the BLS. ‘We want people to explain it to us,’ he said, emphasizing the administration’s desire for transparency on major revisions, such as those expected in September.
The controversy surrounding the BLS commissioner’s firing underscores the broader implications for economic policy and public trust in government agencies. As the White House continues to scrutinize the accuracy of job numbers, the situation highlights the tension between political influence and economic data integrity. With revisions to key economic indicators drawing increased scrutiny, the episode reveals the high stakes involved in maintaining the credibility of official statistics.