Trade adviser says Trump has "real concerns" about jobs data after president fires labor statistics chief

CBS News

4 days ago

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer defended President Trump's decision to fire a key official responsible for employment reports, telling CBS News on Friday that Mr. Trump has "real concerns" about the accuracy of federal economic data.
Greer spoke to "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" hours after the monthly jobs report showed a hiring slowdown in July and revised down earlier reports for May and June. Mr. Trump reacted by firing Commissioner of Labor Statistics Erika McEntarfer, claiming — without evidence — Friday's jobs numbers were "RIGGED."
"You know, even last year during the campaign, there were enormous swings in the jobs numbers, and so it sounds to me like the president has real concerns," Greer told CBS News, adding that Mr. Trump's issues with government labor data extend beyond Friday's report.
"You want to be able to have somewhat reliable numbers. There are always revisions, but sometimes you see these revisions go in really extreme ways," said Greer.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics' reports are based on surveys of households and businesses. It's common for the agency to revise prior months' figures up or down as more data comes in. The May and June revisions — which cut the number of new jobs by a combined 258,000 — were the largest downward change in employment figures since 1979, excluding pandemic-era jobs reports, though that doesn't mean the data was manipulated, as Mr. Trump claims.
Greer defended Mr. Trump's right to fire McEntarfer, an economist who was nominated to the post by former President Joe Biden.
"The President is the President. He can choose who works in the executive branch," Greer said.
The firing drew staunch criticism, with McEntarfer's predecessor William Beach — who was first nominated in Mr. Trump's first term — calling it "groundless" and a "dangerous precedent."
"This rationale for firing Dr. McEntarfer is without merit and undermines the credibility of federal economic statistics that are a cornerstone of intelligent economic decision-making by businesses, families, and policymakers," Beach said in a statement.
Friday's report showed the economy added 73,000 jobs in July, below the 115,000 predicted by economists. The unemployment rate rose slightly to 4.2%, up from 4.1% a month earlier.
The jobs report also showed a slight drop in manufacturing jobs last month. Mr. Trump's tariff hikes are intended in part to boost American manufacturing — though critics warn some U.S.-based factories that rely on foreign-made inputs will be hurt by tariffs.
When asked about July's manufacturing data, Greer — one of Mr. Trump's trade negotiators — told CBS News he doesn't "read tariff policy into that number."
Instead, Greer argued that the numbers reflect conditions prior to the Trump-backed One Big Beautiful Bill Act that passed through Congress last month. He argued businesses were "waiting to see" if some of the bill's tax provisions would pass, including parts that GOP lawmakers believe will encourage more business investment.
"I think that we're going to see a big increase in manufacturing jobs now that we have the 'one big, beautiful bill' passed," Greer said. "And I think that … our manufacturers know that they have a clear and certain path forward on that now."