Trump nominates Heritage economist E.J. Antoni to lead Bureau of Labor Statistics

President Donald Trump on Monday formally announced he has selected the Heritage Foundation's chief economist, E.J. Antoni, to serve as the new Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). 

Trump fired former BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer earlier this month, hours after she published a weak jobs report partly based on steep downward revisions for May and June.

The president claimed that she had overstated jobs growth under the last president to aid rival Kamala Harris' presidential campaign and that she had wrongly revised his own jobs numbers downwards.

Trump on Monday promised that Antoni would be "honest" and "accurate" in his monthly job reports.

"I am pleased to announce that I am nominating Highly Respected Economist, Dr. E.J. Antoni, as the next Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics," he posted on Truth Social. "Our Economy is booming, and E.J. will ensure that the Numbers released are HONEST and ACCURATE. I know E.J. Antoni will do an incredible job in this new role. Congratulations E.J.!"

Antoni is a prominent critic of BLS, having previously voiced concerns about its revisions to the jobs data. He also called for McEntarfer's firing hours before the president axed the former commissioner.

“There are better ways to collect, process, and disseminate data—that is the task for the next BLS commissioner, and only consistent delivery of accurate data in a timely manner will rebuild the trust that has been lost over the last several years,” Antoni posted on X last week.

Antoni will still need to be confirmed by the Senate.