'Propaganda hire': Analysts admonish MAGA-aligned economist Trump could pick to lead BLS

Reports indicate President Donald Trump is interviewing candidates for the vacant Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner position, and analysts admonished one potential candidate on Sunday.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump is considering hiring the Heritage Foundation's chief economist, E.J. Antoni, to lead the BLS. The report indicates that Antoni has been critical of the Trump administration and has also voiced concerns about revisions to jobs data.

Trump used a significant revision to the most recent job numbers as a pretext to fire the former BLS Commissioner, Erika McEntarfer.

Antoni has support from MAGA firebrand Steve Bannon as well, according to WSJ.

Economists and analysts took to social media to share their thoughts about Antoni being in line to lead the BLS.

"Propaganda hire," journalist and author Mark Chadbourn posted on Bluesky.

"There are so many well qualified (sic) conservative labor economists that he can put in this position, but he won’t because they won’t cook the books," Scott Imberman, professor of economics and education at Michigan State University, posted on Bluesky.

"This administration rewards those who do not care for the truth," Alex Nowrasteh, vice president of economics and social policy at The Cato Institute, posted on X.

Susan Dynarski, economist and professor at Harvard University, wrote on Bluesky that Antoni's dissertation only has one citation. For comparison, McEntarfer published 47 peer-reviewed papers and had more than 1,300 citations, according to Dynarski.

Bobby Kogan, senior director of federal budget policy for the Center for American Progress, wrote on Bluesky that Antoni's economic analysis, which he shared with a Congressional committee, was flawed.

"When I testified before the House next to this guy, in his *prepared* testimony on rising costs, he double-counted inflation," Kogan posted on Bluesky.

Read the entire report by clicking here.