In July, economists expected 117,500 new jobs would be added to the market. In reality, the jobs report only found 73,000 jobs, a 38% shortfall.
Although the commissioner of labor statistics has “no possibility of having any involvement in the calculation of the numbers that are ultimately published,” as Trump’s first-term commissioner once noted, he still blamed the disappointing report on internal manipulation. Trump responded by firing Erika McEntarfar, the commissioner serving during his second term.
However, the August jobs report, led by a different, temporary commissioner, confirmed the findings of the July report. 76,500 new jobs were forecasted to be added to the market but only 22,000 were — a 71% decrease.
Despite warnings from prominent economists that Trump’s tariffs, deportation and federal cuts would destabilize the market, he is unable to admit fault. Instead, Trump has flipped between blaming Jerome Powell, the Federal Reserve’s Chair, and claiming the report was actually complimentary, asserting a false claim that all the jobs have gone to American-born workers.
After firing his first commissioner, Trump nominated E.J. Antoni, the Heritage Foundation’s chief economist whom conservative economist Kyle Pomerleau described as having either a “complete misunderstanding of economic data and principles, or…a willingness to treat his audience with contempt and mislead them.”
Although fellow Republicans disagree with Trump’s pick, this lack of qualification has become standard in his second term. Linda McMahon, the secretary of education, has spent longer on pro-Trump super PACs than school boards. While Elon Musk has no experience as an accountant, he was still entrusted to audit the government. Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News personality, was picked to run the Department of Defense even though his military history is limited.
Nearly every Trump appointee has little to no formal experience in the departments they are now overseeing. This lack of qualification has led to a disregard for data, placing personal preferences over fact.
Robert F. Kennedy, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, is infamous for peddling vaccine skepticism, suggesting that vaccines cause autism and can be deadly. After taking control of the agency, Kennedy started implementing his agenda, telling employees to take down information on Thimerosal, a preservative in some vaccines, from the CDC’s website.
Although it has been endorsed as safe by multiple scientific and medical bodies, Kennedy provided his staff no reason for its removal other than “it was not approved by him.” The personal opinion of a man cynical towards science overrides the data behind vaccine safety.
Even though the action of removing a vaccine ingredient from the CDC’s website might seem harmless, it helps Kennedy degrade the data behind vaccine efficiency. It makes Thimerosal appear dangerous as it is no longer CDC approved. When in reality, this decision is based entirely on one person’s opinion — an opinion that has been proved wrong by countless studies.
But it’s not only the CDC that is neglecting evidence based decisions. Throughout Trump’s second term, data has been suppressed. In April, he put the department in charge of monitoring maternal and child health on leave despite increasing mortality rates during pregnancy. His administration has taken down climate, health and environmental justice information from more than 8,000 government web pages and 3,000 datasets. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has stopped tracking the most extreme weather events.
These are just a sample of the agencies who have reduced or stopped collecting data, most of which have been historically used to support U.S. citizens. Actions like cutting the staff that monitors weather disaster preparedness systems, as Trump did in March, leaves the government unprepared and the consequences of this recklessness will only hurt Americans.
Data is not political, yet Trump treats it like an enemy, moving to stop collecting it and firing anyone who discloses it.
