President Trump Announces New Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner After Firing Biden Appointee

On Monday, President Trump revealed that he is nominating E.J. Antoni as his new Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner.

Antoni is currently the Chief Economist at the Heritage Foundation.

He’s also a longtime critic of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Antoni’s appointment will still need to be confirmed by the Senate, once they return from August recess.

President Trump announced on Truth Social:

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. 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 comes after President Trump fired Biden-appointed Dr. Erika McEntarfer from the role for cooking the books on jobs numbers after an abysmal July jobs report.

CNBC noted:

Antoni would replace Erika McEntarfer, who Trump fired as BLS commissioner on Aug. 1, after accusing her of manipulating jobs report data.

McEntarfer was terminated hours after her agency reported reported slower than expected nonfarm job payroll growth in July, and after sharply revising downward previously reported June and May job gains.

E.J. Antoni is also a favorite guest on Steve Bannon’s War Room.

During a recent appearance, he discussed the issues with the Bureau of Labor Statistics and their data.

Watch here:

BANNON: Have we put our own person, a MAGA Republican, into the Bureau of Labor Statistics?

E.J. ANTONI: No, and I think that's part of the reason why we continue to have all of these different data problems. @RealEJAntoni pic.twitter.com/kmvv95z9fD

— Bannon’s WarRoom (@Bannons_WarRoom) August 1, 2025

Newsweek has more on his background:

Antoni serves as chief economist and Richard Aster fellow at The Heritage Foundation’s Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget.

He holds master’s and doctoral degrees in economics and has previously worked as an economist at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. He regularly contributes to major news outlets including Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and CNBC, also serving as in-house economist for talk radio’s nationally syndicated VINCE Show.

The Heritage Foundation was the primary architect behind Project 2025, a comprehensive conservative blueprint for Republican presidential administrations. Launched in 2022, the initiative includes a 900-page policy agenda proposing sweeping federal agency reforms, rollbacks of progressive policies and expansion of executive power through civil service restructuring.

Critics have characterized the political plan as a radical shift toward centralized, ideologically driven governance that threatens civil liberties and democratic norms. Project 2025 has widely been seen as the strategy for Trump’s second term, despite his campaign publicly distancing itself from the initiative.

Antoni also serves as senior fellow at Unleash Prosperity and frequently testifies before Congress and state legislatures on economic issues.