In a move that surprised no one who’s been following this administration’s personnel choices, President Trump has formally withdrawn Dr. E.J. Antoni’s nomination to serve as the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
According to CNN, “The White House has submitted the necessary documents to the Senate, officially retracting the nomination of E.J. Antoni to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as confirmed by three separate sources.”
Update: The White House has rescinded EJ ANTONI’s nomination for the BLS Commissioner role, per sources speaking to CNN.
This decision comes just a couple of months after Trump initially appointed him in the wake of the abrupt firing of Erik McEntarfer following a lackluster jobs report.
Reporting by @KristenhCNN and @emsteck: https://t.co/BHf9AfVdSg
— Adam Cancryn (@adamcancryn) September 30, 2025
President Trump had made headlines last month by announcing Dr. E.J. Antoni, a conservative economist, as his selected candidate for the BLS Commissioner position.
Dr. Antoni is no stranger to media circles, often appearing on the Bannon War Room. He currently fulfills the role of Chief Economist and Richard Aster Fellow at the Heritage Foundation’s Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget. His analyses have graced the pages and airwaves of far-right outlets such as Fox News, Wall Street Journal, and National Review, among others.
On TRUTH Social, President Trump proclaimed: “I am proud to announce that I am nominating the highly respected economist, Dr. E.J. Antoni, as the new Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Our economy is flourishing! E.J. will work tirelessly to ensure that the data released is both HONEST and ACCURATE. I have full confidence in E.J. Antoni’s ability to excel in this role. Congratulations, E.J.!”
It’s worth noting that Trump’s previous decision to oust the Biden-appointed BLS Commissioner came after she allegedly skewed the employment figures leading up to the 2024 election—an elegant ploy to bolster Kamala Harris’s electoral hopes.
Dr. Erika McEntarfer found herself on the chopping block following a decidedly disappointing July jobs report, where a mere 73,000 jobs were recorded, and prior months’ figures were significantly revised downward.
“The nonfarm payrolls for July saw a meager growth of 73,000—an increase over June’s dismal 14,000, yet still falling short of Wall Street’s earnest expectations for a 100,000 gain,” CNBC reported.
Moreover, the outlet added, “June and May’s totals were revised down, detracting a combined 258,000 job gains from earlier projections.”
In Trump’s view, McEntarfer was but a pawn in the game, sabotaging the employment numbers to paint his administration in a poor light.
