US President Donald Trump accused the government’s labor statistics chief of changing jobs data to help Joe Biden. He made the claim on Thursday, shortly after firing her from the role.

Trump and Moore Present ‘Real’ Numbers

In the Oval Office, Trump hosted what he called a “major” announcement. There, he stood beside economist Stephen Moore from the Heritage Foundation. Together, they showed charts they claimed were the real employment figures.

“This shows that over the last two years of the Biden administration, the BLS overestimated job creation by 1.5 million jobs. Mr. President, that’s a gigantic error,” Moore said.

Moreover, Moore praised Trump’s decision to remove the Bureau of Labor Statistics head. “Trump did the right thing in calling for a new head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics,” he said.

Trump Says It Was Intentional

Furthermore, Trump suggested the numbers were altered on purpose. “It might not have been an error, that’s the bad part,” he said. “I don’t think it’s an error, I think they did it purposely.”

Moore also cited “unpublished census data” to highlight income gains. According to him, in Trump’s first five months, “average median household income adjusted for inflation for the average family in America is already up $1,174.”

Trump called the figure “incredible.”

Data Revisions Triggered the Firing

The Bureau of Labor Statistics often updates job data after release. These revisions can increase or decrease numbers, sometimes by large margins.

In early August, however, it revised May and June job growth down by 258,000. As a result, Trump grew angry and fired Commissioner Erika McEntarfer, who had taken office in January 2024.

“We had no confidence. I mean the numbers were ridiculous,” Trump said on Sunday.

Trump and Moore’s Past Connection

Previously, during his first term, Trump considered nominating Moore to the Federal Reserve’s board. However, he later dropped the idea after critics questioned Moore’s qualifications and pointed to past sexist remarks.