Donald Trump announced on his Truth Social platform that he has nominated E.J. Antoni for a key role, stating, “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.!”
This nomination, which requires U.S. Senate confirmation, follows Trump’s dismissal of Erika McEntarfer earlier in the month, a move that sparked concerns about the credibility and political independence of U.S. government statistics. Trump had justified McEntarfer’s firing by baselessly claiming that the recent jobs report—which showed a significant slowdown in job growth for May and June—was “rigged” to make him look bad.
Antoni, who works at the Heritage Foundation and had publicly called for McEntarfer’s removal before she was fired, has been a consistent supporter of Trump. After Trump announced a trade deal with Japan last month, Antoni praised the agreement as “darn close” to perfect and described Trump and his Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, as “artistic masters.” Last week, Antoni posted on social media that there were “better ways to collect, process, and disseminate” economic data, and that the next head of the BLS would need to provide “accurate data in a timely manner” to restore trust in the agency.
The nomination quickly drew criticism from economists, who questioned Antoni’s qualifications and partisan ties. Jason Furman, an economist at Harvard Kennedy School and former adviser to President Barack Obama, called Antoni “completely unqualified.” In a post on X, Furman wrote, “He is an extreme partisan and does not have any relevant expertise. He would be a break from decades of nonpartisan technocrats.” Erica Groshen, who headed the BLS under Obama, shared similar concerns. She told Al Jazeera, “So far, what worries me is that the nominee and his work are not well known in the business, academic or public service communities.”
