President Trump dismissed Erika McEntarfer, the top official of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, following a July jobs report that indicated the economy added only 73,000 jobs. The report was accompanied by downward revisions from previous months, totaling a loss of 258,000 jobs. Despite previously claiming credit for positive job numbers, Trump accused McEntarfer of falsifying data. Kristen Welker questioned National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett about Trump's firing practices based on disagreeable data. Hassett claimed the president seeks reliable and transparent reporting from his appointees.
Trump fired Erika McEntarfer, the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, after the agency reported that the economy added just 73,000 jobs in July. The BLS also released downward revisions of jobs data from May and June, showing that the economy added 258,000 fewer jobs than initially reported.
Trump insisted that the BLS numbers were wrong and accused McEntarfer of having faked the Jobs Numbers to hurt him politically. Welker pointed out that Trump previously praised the BLS numbers when they were positive.
Hassett stated the president wants his own people there so that when we see the numbers, they're more transparent and more reliable. He expressed a desire for explanations regarding significant data revisions.
Hassett mentioned that the May and June revisions are evidence in and of themselves, implying their validity without directly addressing whether the current numbers released are inaccurate.
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