Trump Trade Adviser: President has ‘real concerns’ about job data after BLS fires

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer measured President Trump’s decision to fire Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Commissioner Erika Mcentarfer, saying the commander-in-chief had “real concerns” about the work figures that exceeded Friday’s bleak report.

“Even during the campaign, there was a huge fluctuation in the job numbers, so I sound like the president has real concerns. You know, not just based on what we saw last year today,” Greer said on Friday at CBS News.

“You want to be able to have some reliable numbers. There will always be revisions, but sometimes you see those revisions go in very extreme ways. And, the president is the president. He can choose who works in the executive branch,” Greer, one of Trump’s top tariff negotiators, told host Margaret Brennan.

Trump’s Friday morning work report at the Labor Department showed that in May and June, the U.S. was less than 258,000 than previously reported. The report also said the country added 73,000 jobs in July.

Trump ruled the BLS Chiefs Friday afternoon, accusing her of manipulating data to make him and the Republicans look bad.

“She will be replaced by more capable and qualified people. Such important numbers must be fair and accurate, and they cannot be manipulated for political purposes,” Trump wrote on “Society of Truth” on Friday.

McEntarfer’s firing was criticized by Democrats, but William Beach was also appointed head of the BLS for Trump’s first term.

Greer said Friday that the country will see a “big” increase in manufacturing volume as Trump’s “big and beautiful bill” has been signed into law.

“I think, you know, our manufacturers know that they have a clear path now,” he said.

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