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View all search resultsLies, damned lies and Trump's statistics
Data is foundational to good governance, but when the reliability of official figures comes under doubt, it has far-reaching consequences for economies and democracies across the world.
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United States President Donald Trump looks on during a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (not pictured) on July 28, 2025, at the Trump Turnberry golf resort in Scotland. (Reuters/Pool/Christopher Furlong)
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tatistics may seem dull, but they are indispensable. Without them, policymakers, as well as those tasked with implementing their decisions, would be unable to do their jobs. Reliable data form the foundation of sound governance, playing a central role in shaping monetary and fiscal policy and supporting and forecasting demand for infrastructure, commodities, schools, hospitals and water.
Similarly, private companies rely on information about population growth, wage trends and other key indicators to guide investment decisions and production strategies. The more reliable the data, the more valuable they become.
But when the reliability of official figures is in doubt, uncertainty grows, leading to poor decision-making. A census, for example, is useful only to the extent that people trust it to provide an accurate picture of population trends. For this reason, essential statistics should be regarded as public goods: Their value increases when they are credible, accessible and widely shared.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is one of the United States’ most vital sources of reliable economic statistics, guiding policymakers, businesses and investors alike. Each month, the BLS publishes data on employment, unemployment, consumer prices and wages, not just at the national level but also by state, region and municipality.
The accuracy of these numbers has steadily improved over time, making them trusted benchmarks for businesses and governments worldwide. As The Economist recently noted, “trillions of dollars in global assets reprice within moments of a BLS release”.
That hard-won reputation was severely, and perhaps irreparably, damaged when US President Donald Trump abruptly fired BLS commissioner Erika McEntarfer just hours after the release of the bureau’s July report, which revealed a sharp slowdown in employment growth and revised down earlier job gains. Trump claimed the figures were “phony” and “rigged” to make him and the Republican Party look bad.
These allegations were, of course, completely baseless. In reality, BLS commissioners do not see the final numbers until shortly before their public release. Moreover, the agency has refined its accounting methods to address problems like underreporting and misreporting.
