Last week, I posted about Donald Trump's calm measured response to receiving bad news about the economy.
When the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimated the U.S. economy only grew by 73,000 jobs with an increase in the unemployment rate, Li'l Donnie fired BLS Commissioner Dr. Erika McEntarfer.
He accused her of manipulating the numbers to make him look bad, claiming the labor report was rigged.
He provided no evidence of any such malfeasance.
Well, whenever he whines that something was "rigged" against him, he NEVER has an evidence to support it.
Like his persistent claims the 2020 election was "rigged".
By the way, he has the Department of Justice chasing down that allegation about the 2020 election to soothe his bruised ego.
Back to the BLS Labor report....
Last Thursday, the White House press corps was advised that Trump would be making a major economic announcement in the Oval Office so they should hustle up to hear it.
What they got was a one man pep rally to extoll the virtues of Trump's economy and that Erika McEntarfer is a big ol' dooty head who doesn't know what she's doing.
Joining Trump in the Oval Office was Stephen Moore, an alleged "economist" and right wing MAGA cheerleader.
Moore had charts and graphs and what all to "prove" his point.
Moore was up for a position in the first Trump administration but couldn't get Senate confirmation even among the ass kissing sycophants of the Republican Party because Moore was such an horrendously bad economist.
In a 2nd administration that has RFK Jr running health, well, Moore might have a better shot at getting a job.
Well, he did the job Trump wanted him to do on Thursday.
Pointing at his various charts that showed supposed inconsistencies in BLS data reporting, Moore was all "Trump's economy is the bestest economy ever in the history of economies ever! Isn't Donald ever so dreamy?"
The firing of Dr. Erika McEntarfer has been greeted with concern and trepidation by Wall Street, business leaders and economists from both the academia and the private sector.
Numbers are numbers and firing the person who delivers those numbers just because Li'l Donnie's feelings got hurt is not a good thing.
Jessica Reidl, an economist with the conservative Manhattan Institute had this to say: “The White House is trying to bend reality to fit President Trump’s preferences for economic data. Any economic data that is positive is true and the same report is fake when it produces results he doesn’t like. There’s no rhyme or reason.”
Well... duh!
A group of statisticians — including two former BLS commissioners, one of which was a Trump appointee in his first term — issued a joint statement: “The process of obtaining the numbers is decentralized by design to avoid opportunities for interference. The BLS uses the same proven, transparent, reliable process to produce estimates every month. Every month, BLS revises the prior two months’ employment estimates to reflect slower-arriving, more-accurate information."
“This rationale for firing Dr. McEntarfer is without merit and undermines the credibility of federal economic statistics that are a cornerstone of intelligent economic decision-making by businesses, families, and policymakers."
Facts are facts and Trump providing "alternative facts" ain't going to change the reality on the ground. Donald Trump has always insisted that what he says is the only credible information and anything anyone says that is different is fake or rigged.
In addition to denying the BLS Labor Report, Trump also insists prices are going down when they are in fact going up.
Trump is also attempting to re-write how math works. He's been promising to lower drug prices by 1,500%. Which makes no sense. Unless drug companies are going to pay ME to take their medications.
This is Trump bending reality because reality hurts his feelings.
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