The Trump administration withdrew its nomination of E.J. Antoni to head the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), according to multiple reports. The move comes just weeks after President Donald Trump fired the previous BLS commissioner following an unfavorable jobs report in August.
A White House official told CNN that a new nominee would be announced soon but did not provide a reason for Antoni’s withdrawal. Sources inside the administration told The New York Times that Antoni remains a “brilliant economist.”
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The Heritage Foundation announced in a social media post Tuesday that Antoni would return to his role as chief economist at the conservative think tank.
A controversial appointment after BLS shakeup
Antoni’s nomination followed the abrupt ousting of Erika McEntarfer, the former BLS commissioner. She was fired just hours after the public release of a jobs report that Trump dismissed as “rigged.”
Antoni, a known critic of the agency’s methodology, was tapped to replace her.
Ex-commissioner warns of political pressure
In her first public comments since being fired, McEntarfer warned against politicizing economic data.
“Markets have to trust the data are not manipulated,” she told The New York Times. “Firing your chief statisticians for releasing data you do not like — it has serious economic consequences. The List of countries that have gone down this route, it’s not a good list.”
Controversial social media posts resurface
While it’s unclear why the White House withdrew Antoni’s nomination, CNN reports a social media account linked to him did share controversial material. The since-deleted posts reportedly included inappropriate sexual remarks about Kamala Harris, anti-LGBTQ slurs, and conspiracy theories.
Some Democrats and economists praised the decision to withdraw Antoni’s nomination, though many Trump administration officials had defended his qualifications.
It’s unclear when the White House will name a new nominee for the BLS role, which requires Senate confirmation.
