Ex-Obama adviser says Trump ‘way beyond’ Nixon after firing BLS head
Larry Summers, a former Obama economic adviser, condemned President Donald Trump for firing the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) after a disappointing jobs report, stating that Trump’s actions go “way beyond” those of Richard Nixon. Summers criticized the firing of BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer,who was dismissed following job growth figures that showed only 73,000 new jobs in July and downward revisions for previous months. Trump accused McEntarfer of manipulating data, a claim Summers called “preposterous,” emphasizing that the BLS follows rigorous procedures and that the numbers align with other private-sector data. Summers warned that such dismissals reflect a troubling move toward authoritarianism, likening it to attacks on the press and academic institutions. McEntarfer, confirmed by the Senate with bipartisan support earlier this year, expressed gratitude for her service after her firing.
Ex-Obama adviser says Trump ‘way beyond’ Nixon after firing BLS commissioner
An ex-Obama adviser on Sunday said President Donald Trump went “way beyond anything Richard Nixon ever did” after he fired the Bureau of Labor Statistics head over a lackluster jobs report.
Larry Summers, who served as director of the White House’s National Economic Council between 2009 and 2010, criticized Trump’s firing and claimed it would lead to an authoritarian regime.
“I’m surprised that other officials have not responded by resigning themselves, as took place when Richard Nixon fired people lawlessly,” Summers told ABC News host George Stephanopoulos on the Sunday morning program This Week.
The economist was seemingly referring to Nixon’s firing of the Department of Justice special prosecutor tasked with investigating the Watergate scandal in 1973. The prosecutor’s removal led to a series of resignations within the department, known as the “Saturday Night Massacre.” Nixon was not impeached over Watergate, but he eventually resigned.
On Friday, Trump fired BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer following the release of new employment numbers showing only 73,000 jobs being added in July. The report also estimated that some 258,000 fewer jobs were added in May and June, lower than previously reported.
The report caused markets to sink and raised questions about the labor market’s health, prompting Trump to blame McEntarfer for the weak report, which he claimed was fabricated.
“We need accurate Jobs Numbers,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY. She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified. Important numbers like this must be fair and accurate, they can’t be manipulated for political purposes.”
Summers called the president’s accusation “preposterous,” noting the BLS followed “detailed procedures” in creating the new employment numbers.
“There’s no conceivable way that the head of the BLS could have manipulated this number,” he said. “The numbers are in line with what we’re seeing from all kinds of private sector sources.”
“This is the stuff of democracies giving way to authoritarianism,” the Obama-era economic adviser added. “Firing statisticians goes with threatening the heads of newspapers, it goes with launching assaults on universities, it goes with launching assaults on law firms that defend clients that the elected boss finds uncongenial. This is really scary stuff.”
TRUMP FIRES TOP LABOR STATISTICS OFFICIAL AFTER WEAK JOBS REPORT
McEntarfer led the BLS since January 2024 after she was confirmed by the Senate in a bipartisan 86-8 vote. Then-Sens. JD Vance and Marco Rubio, now members of the Trump administration, voted in favor of her confirmation at the time.
The former agency chief reacted to the news on Friday, saying it was an “honor” to serve as BLS commissioner “alongside the many dedicated civil servants tasked with measuring a vast and dynamic economy.” She added, “It is vital and important work and I thank them for their service to this nation.”
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