The White House has withdrawn its nomination of economist EJ Antoni to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics, ending a brief chapter that had drawn scrutiny from economists, lawmakers, and political observers, NBC News reports. Antoni, a conservative and chief economist at the Heritage Foundation, was initially tapped for the role in August, following President Trump's dismissal of former BLS commissioner Erika McEntarfer. That move came after a disappointing jobs report, which showed sharp downward revisions to employment figures for several months.
Trump, without providing evidence, accused McEntarfer—a Biden appointee—of manipulating jobs data to benefit Democrats. He claimed Antoni would restore transparency to the office. However, veteran BLS officials countered that the commissioner does not manually prepare monthly reports but is only briefed on them before their release.
Antoni's background includes being a contributor to Project 2025 and enjoying support from conservative figures such as Steve Bannon. He has also expressed skepticism about the reliability of some BLS data, suggesting in an August Fox Business interview that monthly jobs reports should be paused in favor of quarterly releases to ensure greater accuracy. A CNN investigation also alleged he once had a Twitter account that contained homophobic comments, conspiracy theories, and sexually degrading vitriol aimed at Kamala Harris.
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Antoni's nomination also faced questions over his presence near the US Capitol on January 6, 2021; the White House said he was a "bystander" during the insurrection attempt. Sources tell CNN that two Republican senators, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, refused to meet with Antoni, signaling his confirmation could be at risk. The White House has indicated it will nominate another candidate soon.
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