Trump reveals his pick to lead Bureau of Labor Statistics — says it was run by ‘stupid people’ for years
The President claimed that the BLS was run by
Jan. 31 2026, Published 6:10 a.m. ET
Several months after he fired the previous head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Donald Trump has finally named a successor, and his choice has gained credit from a lot of people. The new head of the BLS will be Brett Matsumoto. Back in August, the President had abruptly fired the then-head of the BLS, Erika McEntarfer. The firing came after the department released a report that proved that hiring in the country had slowed in the months prior.
At the time, Trump claimed that McEntarfer had released a rigged report to make political gains. Of course, that claim still lacks evidence after so many months. In the interim, the BLS was led by Commissioner William Wiatrowski. In a recent Truth Social post, the President claimed that Matsumoto had what it took to restore greatness to the bureau, which he believed had been run by “weak and stupid people.”
“For many years, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, under WEAK and STUPID people, has been FAILING American Businesses, Policymakers, and Families by releasing VERY inaccurate numbers,” he wrote in the post. “I am confident that Brett has the expertise to QUICKLY fix the long history of issues at the BLS on behalf of the American People. Brett Matsumoto is a Brilliant, Reputable, and Trusted Economist who will restore GREATNESS to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Congratulations, Brett!”
Matsumoto has been working at the BLS for more than a decade now, first joining as an economist in its price index measurement division, as per a report in NBC News. At the moment, he is an economist in the White House, a position that he had worked in during the President's first term as well. His experience shows that he knows how to handle federal figures, as his years of experience would suggest.
Trump’s choices might not always be the most popular, but in this case, several industry leaders seem to be on board. Omair Sharif, founder of the forecasting firm Inflation Insights, said that Matsumoto was a great choice to lead the BLS. "He is a very smart, skilled economist who has 10+ yrs of experience at BLS. Understands the details of the data & importance of unbiased data," he said.
Skanda Amarnath, executive director of Employ America, an economic policy research and advocacy organization, also credited the President’s choice. “Credit to President Trump for choosing Brett Matsumoto to run the BLS. A very thoughtful person who understands the nuts and bolts of data measurement and estimation,” he wrote on X.
More on Market Realist