The Wall Street Journal editorial board issued a stern warning over President Donald Trump’s meddling with jobs data.
The Rupert Murdoch-owned newspaper on Tuesday criticized Trump’s pick to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), E.J. Antoni, who was chosen after the president fired the previous leader.
Trump got rid of Erika McEntarfer after a report of jobs showed “the worst three months of job growth since the coronavirus pandemic,” numbers the president said were “rigged” to hurt him politically, and a claim for which the White House has come up with no evidence whatsoever.
The WSJ points out that as the chief economist of the right-wing Heritage Foundation, Antoni produced “highly partisan” commentary. By contrast, his new job “demands nonpartisan professionalism.”
“Few people trust China’s economic data because they know the government serves the interests of the ruling Communist Party,” the editorial concludes.
