President Donald Trump ordered the dismissal of Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer on Friday, hours after the agency’s July employment report showed the economy added just 73,000 jobs and revised May and June payroll gains down by a combined 258,000. The unemployment rate edged up to 4.2%. Trump, who appointed McEntarfer’s predecessor but inherited her as a Biden-era appointee, claimed without providing evidence that the numbers were “faked” to benefit Democrats and cited an earlier benchmark adjustment that shaved 818,000 jobs from 2024 totals. In the same social-media post, he said Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell should be “put out to pasture.” Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer confirmed McEntarfer’s removal and said Deputy Commissioner William Wiatrowski would serve as acting head while the White House searches for a permanent replacement. Economic advisers Jamieson Greer and Kevin Hassett defended the firing, arguing that unusually large revisions justified new leadership, and Trump said he expects to nominate a successor within days. Former officials and economists warned the move could erode confidence in U.S. statistical agencies. William Beach, who led the BLS under Trump’s first term, called the action “damaging,” while former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers said the manipulation charge was “preposterous.” Major equity indexes fell roughly 1.5% on the day as investors weighed the weaker data and the potential politicization of future releases.