On Friday, President Donald Trump announced his nomination of Brett Matsumoto, a government economist, to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). This decision comes in the backdrop of Trump's past accusations against the agency, claiming it had intentionally released low monthly job numbers to tarnish his presidency’s image.
Despite Trump’s assertions, there is no evidence to support the notion that the BLS aimed to undermine him through its data releases. However, a series of revisions to past employment reports this summer indicated a deterioration in the job market after Trump assumed office again. Notably, Trump's decision to fire the BLS director in August coincided with the release of subpar job statistics.
Trump further criticized the BLS in a Friday night social media post, labeling it a problematic agency previously managed by "WEAK and STUPID people." In light of this, he expressed confidence that Matsumoto would "quickly fix" the agency's issues. Matsumoto has a notable background, having served as a supervisory research economist at the BLS and working as a senior economist for the White House Council of Economic Advisers.
In his endorsement of Matsumoto, Trump described him as a "Brilliant, Reputable, and Trusted Economist" who would "restore GREATNESS to the Bureau of Labor Statistics" on his platform, Truth Social. Matsumoto’s nomination comes after the White House withdrew Trump's earlier selection of E.J. Antoni, the chief economist at the Heritage Foundation, due to intense criticism regarding his qualifications. Reports also surfaced indicating that Antoni was present among the crowd during the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Following the release of the July jobs report in August, which revealed that only 73,000 jobs were added during that month and that revisions indicated 258,000 fewer jobs were created in May and June than previously thought, Trump terminated the prior BLS commissioner, Erika McEntarfer. The July figure has since been adjusted to show just 72,000 jobs added.
The BLS is responsible for disseminating a variety of crucial economic reports, including the consumer price index, which assesses inflation levels. Reporting by The Wall Street Journal was the first to confirm Matsumoto’s nomination by Trump.
