BlockBeats reported that on August 8, the University of Chicago conducted a poll of 46 American economists this week, and 38 said there was no evidence that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) employment data was biased toward Republicans or Democrats. Many economists said Trump's attacks on U.S. economic data agencies pose a serious threat to official statistics. Last Friday, Trump ordered the firing of the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (the agency that releases non-farm payroll data), after he claimed without evidence that the disappointing employment data was 'manipulated.' The agency later confirmed that Director Erika McEntarfer was fired, and her deputy William Wiatrowski would serve as acting director.
Trump claimed that the Bureau of Labor Statistics exaggerated employment numbers during last year's presidential election to help the Democrats. However, the agency revised the numbers down by more than 800,000 in August 2024, which was seen at the time as a blow to the Democrats. Despite the Bureau of Labor Statistics facing issues with staff shortages, funding gaps, and reduced survey responses, former statisticians and economists stated that manipulating the data is actually very difficult.
Anil Kashyap of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business stated, 'If you have a little understanding of how these numbers are constructed, you would know that successfully manipulating them requires a huge conspiracy.' Nancy Stokey of the University of Chicago remarked, 'Trump's action of firing the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics will only damage the reputation of the United States.'