White House searches for a new BLS chief with 'credibility' and 'experience'

White House officials began the week scrambling to find a replacement after Trump fired Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer on Friday.

WASHINGTON — White House officials began the week scrambling to find a permanent replacement after President Donald Trump fired Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer on Friday following a weaker-than-expected July jobs report and drastic downward revisions of employment for the previous two months.

Steve Bannon, a senior White House adviser in Trump's first term who is influential with the MAGA wing of the GOP, is pushing hard for E.J. Antoni, the chief economist at the conservative Heritage Foundation. Antoni, a contributor to the Project 2025 policy rubric, has been a longtime skeptic of BLS data. On Bannon's podcast last week, Antoni called for McEntarfer to be fired shortly before Trump pulled the trigger.

In an interview with NBC News on Monday afternoon, Antoni said he had not been contacted by anyone in the White House about the job. West Wing officials were "still running traps" on candidates for the Senate-confirmed position Monday, a White House aide said.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment on whether Antoni is under consideration.

Trump said Sunday that he plans to announce a pick in the next three or four days.