White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was pressed on Tuesday after President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics suggested the agency suspend its monthly jobs report.
Economist E.J. Antoni, ahead of Trump’s nomination announcement on Monday, told Fox News Digital earlier this month that the data behind the longstanding economic practice, which helps determine the health of the economy, is frequently unreliable and overstated.
“How on earth are businesses supposed to plan — or how is the [Federal Reserve] supposed to conduct monetary policy — when they don’t know how many jobs are being added or lost in our economy? It’s a serious problem that needs to be fixed immediately,” Antoni, a fellow at the Heritage Foundation conservative think tank, told Fox News Digital.
“Until it is corrected, the BLS should suspend issuing the monthly job reports, but keep publishing the more accurate, though less timely, quarterly data,” he said.
Trump had fired Erika McEntarfer, the commissioner of the agency, at the beginning of the month after a revised July jobs report found that hiring had slowed in July and was much weaker in May and June than previously recorded. Trump accused McEntarfer of manipulating the report for political reasons, calling the updated job numbers “RIGGED in order to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad.”
During her White House press briefing, Leavitt was asked by a reporter about whether Americans should trust inflation reports, also released by the BLS, amid accusations that its jobs data isn’t “reliable.” The agency reported on Tuesday that inflation remained steady in July, with consumer prices rising 0.2%, keeping the annual inflation rate at 2.7%.
“Well look, the jobs data has had massive revisions,” Leavitt said. “We want to ensure that all of the data — the inflation data, the jobs data, any data point that is coming out of the BLS — is trustworthy and is accurate, which is why the president had restored new leadership at the BLS.”
Social media users had pointed to how revisions to jobs data is not uncommon. Meanwhile, the updated July report marked the largest two-month downward revision to the numbers since 1968.
The jobs report is based on a collection of answers from voluntary survey respondents in both households and businesses. While some may immediately reply, others may choose to report data later. While the BLS issues its initial report to relay employment information in a timely manner, the figures become more accurate as data is collected over time, making it subject to later up or down revisions. The BLS has released employment data, in some form, since 1915 under the Current Employment Statistics program.
“The jobs data is always revised. That’s literally the system,” Fred Wellman, a host of MediasTouch’s “On Democracy” podcast, wrote on X, adding “She is lying. This is all lies. She knows she is lying.”
Someone wrote, “Pretty sure Americans can see the rising prices in the stores. Not to mention the jobs numbers are ALWAYS revised.”
Others praised the reporter for asking the question.
Leavitt was also asked whether suspending the monthly reports is a “real option.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt holds her first news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on Jan. 28.
When Karoline Leavitt took the podium Tuesday for her first briefing as White House press secretary, she laid out some changes: independent creators, including podcasters and social media influencers, would now be able to apply for White House press credentials.
“Americans are consuming their news media from various different platforms, especially young people,” she said. “And as the youngest press secretary in history, thanks to President Trump, I take great pride in opening up this room to new media voices to share the president’s message with as many Americans as possible.”
It’s a decision that comes after Trump made a targeted effort to appear on nontraditional media platforms during the presidential campaign, in part specifically to court voters under 30, a group he made
At 27 years old, Leavitt is the youngest person to hold the job of top White House spokesperson. The position hasn’t been held by someone under 30 since former President Richard Nixon’s administration in 1969.
While Leavitt comes to the job with less time in political communications than some of her predecessors, she has been a longtime Trump aide and worked in the press shop during his first run in the White House.
Over the past year, Leavitt became a prominent face on the president’s team, serving as national press secretary for the campaign and, before that, as the spokesperson for Trump’s super PAC, MAGA Inc.
“Karoline is smart, tough, and has proven to be a highly effective communicator,” Trump said in a statement last fall announcing her new role. “I have the utmost confidence she will excel at the podium, and help deliver our message to the American people.”
The press secretary has a background on Capitol Hill, having previously worked as the communications director for New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, who Trump has tapped to be U.N. ambassador.
Leavitt also came close to serving in Congress. A New Hampshire native, she ran in a competitive New Hampshire district, winning her Republican primary but ultimately failing to unseat the Democratic incumbent.
If she had won, Leavitt would have been one of the first members of Gen Z to serve in Congress and the first woman of that generation.
Leavitt defended Trump’s unique appeal to young voters throughout her tenure as his campaign spokesperson.
“The president has a message that resonates with young people,” Leavitt told NPR during an interview in Sept. “If you want to live the American dream, be able to afford a home, have costs go down [for] gas, groceries, rent, and you want to be able to afford a family, then there’s only one option to vote for.”
Though voters under 30 still sided with Vice President Harris overall, Democrats lost serious ground, and Trump made gains compared to 2020 and 2016. The economy and jobs were also cited as the top issues for young Americans when voting, according to
When Leavitt spoke with NPR in September, Harris’ campaign had benefited from a slew of viral internet support. Leavitt brushed it aside.
“Young people care about policy,” she said. “Young people are struggling right now.”
President Donald Trump proposed a new plan Saturday to “terminate” Obamacare by redirecting federal insurance subsidies directly to Americans, marking one of the most sweeping potential overhauls of the U.S. health care system. He unveiled the idea in a series of Truth Social posts, arguing that money “currently being sent to money-sucking insurance companies” should go directly to individuals so they can “purchase their own, much better, healthcare.”
“I am recommending to Senate Republicans that the hundreds of billions of dollars currently being sent to money-sucking insurance companies … BE SENT DIRECTLY TO THE PEOPLE,” Trump wrote. “Take from the BIG, BAD insurance companies, give it to the people, and terminate, per dollar spent, the worst healthcare anywhere in the world, ObamaCare.” He also added, “Unrelated, we must still terminate the filibuster!”
Trump’s comments come amid mounting pressure to end the ongoing government shutdown, which has caused delays for air travelers and uncertainty for millions of low-income Americans. His administration has faced criticism over the refusal to pay SNAP food benefits to 42 million recipients during the shutdown, a decision currently tied up in federal court.
At the same time, Trump has publicly urged Senate Republicans to “nuke” the filibuster and pass spending legislation without Democratic votes. His Saturday post linked the shutdown fight with his health care ambitions, suggesting a direct-payment model for subsidies could offset affordability issues Democrats have used to criticize him.
The proposal reflects a recurring theme in Trump’s populist agenda—cutting out intermediaries and redirecting federal spending “to the people.” Critics and policy analysts quickly pointed out logistical and fiscal challenges. Trump overstated subsidy amounts, claiming “hundreds of billions” go to insurers, while the Congressional Budget Office estimates the 2025 figure at roughly $138 billion. It is also unclear how Americans could purchase coverage without insurance companies administering plans under the ACA.
Reactions were mixed. Some conservatives praised empowering individuals, while others warned dismantling the ACA could destabilize insurance markets and raise costs. Democrats accused Trump of rehashing a failed repeal effort from his first term. The White House has yet to release an official proposal detailing costs or implementation, but Trump’s message remains clear: end the filibuster, end the shutdown, and end Obamacare.