Leave it to The New York Times to still somehow sink itself by stoking a dumb conspiracy theory just before poor economic numbers hit the Trump administration. Just prior to the release of the Bureau of Labor Statistics report showing hiring had stalled in August with only 22,000 jobs added, Times chief economics correspondent Ben Casselman shot his own publication in the foot by wildly speculating on Friday morning that President Trump’s BLS could still wind up fudging numbers. “Is the Jobs Data Still Reliable? Yes, at Least for Now,” read Casselman’s absurd op-ed-ish headline disguised as news.
Casselman’s basis was Trump’s firing of Biden-appointed BLS chief Erika McEntarfer last month — of whom FEC records suggest was a Democrat donor — over allegations that she was rigging numbers. “That prompted a natural question ahead of Friday’s jobs report: Can this month’s numbers be trusted,” questioned Casselman. “The answer, according to economists and experts in government statistics, is yes — but with all the same caveats that always apply to the data.”
Well, the weak jobs data release literally disproved the notion Trump was scheming to mess with BLS data to make him look good, and all the Bidenomics-loving Casselman had to do was wait to critique the jobs numbers and what theu meant for Trump’s economic policies. But apparently Trump Derangement Syndrome managed to get Cassleman — whose piece was last updated 10:08 am — to prematurely snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory.
Oh, but Casselman wasn’t finished. He proceeded to drum up propaganda over President Trump’s pick to replace McEntarfer, Heritage Foundation economist “EJ Antoni, a conservative economist with a history of distorting statistics to support his political arguments.” Did Casselman provide any examples to support his smear of Antoni, who was one of the few to call out publications like The Times for treating the Biden-Harris economy like it was the best thing since chocolate ice cream? Nope.
Secondly, it’s pretty rich to read Casselman talk about “distorting statistics to support” political arguments when he’s the same person who tried to convince readers in July that three percent Q2 GDP growth under Trump — which dwarfed expectations — was somehow still a bad thing and evidence of of anemic, though positive, economic growth.”
Here’s the funny part: When GDP growth came in at a pathetic 1.1 percent in the first quarter of 2023 under President Joe Biden, coming in beneath forecasts of 1.9 percent — literally the definition of “anemic” growth — Casselman was singing a completely different tune. Gee, we wonder why (sarcasm)?
“Higher interest rates took a toll on the U.S. economy in early 2023," he acknowledged, "but free-spending consumers are keeping a recession at bay, at least for now.” In fact, Casselman didn’t even mention that the GDP numbers at the time were significantly slower than expected.
In March 2025, barely over a month into Trump’s second term, Casselman and his colleague Colby Smith had the audacity to accuse him of ruining Biden’s “solid economic outlook,” effectively spitting on the people still reeling from the worst inflation crisis in 40 years under Biden’s economic agenda.
Tell us again about “distorting data to support” political arguments, Casselman.
But The Times reporter, true to form, cherry-picked economists who were “worried that Mr. Antoni, if confirmed, could undermine the agency’s reputation for objectivity.” He continued: “And even before then, Mr. Trump could continue to attack the agency in ways that erode its credibility with his supporters.”
Alexa, define hack.
