Chicago – August 01, 2025
The job market in the United States got much weaker during late spring and early summer, especially after President Trump’s tariffs started. In July, U.S. employers added only 73,000 jobs, which is much lower than usual, and the unemployment rate went up to 4.2%.
The Labor Department also said that most of the job gains from May and June were erased after checking the numbers again. This big drop shows that a lot of people struggled to find work, and businesses were hiring less.
Right after this news came out, President Trump went on social media and claimed—without proof—that the jobs numbers were “rigged” to make him and his party look bad. He also said he was firing Erika McEntarfer, the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), who was picked by former President Joe Biden. Trump promised to choose someone “more competent and qualified” for the job, saying reports about jobs need to be accurate and fair.
Data experts are worried that slashing jobs and money from government agencies, as the Trump administration has been doing, could hurt how trustworthy government statistics are. Some say that the recent cuts and these kinds of actions make it harder for people to rely on the numbers the government reports.
