Go away it to The New York Occasions to nonetheless by some means sink itself by stoking a dumb conspiracy idea simply earlier than poor financial numbers hit the Trump administration. Simply previous to the discharge of the Bureau of Labor Statistics report displaying hiring had stalled in August with solely 22,000 jobs added, Occasions chief economics correspondent Ben Casselman shot his personal publication within the foot by wildly speculating on Friday morning that President Trump’s BLS might nonetheless wind up fudging numbers. “Is the Jobs Information Nonetheless Dependable? Sure, at Least for Now,” learn Casselman’s absurd op-ed-ish headline disguised as information.
Casselman’s foundation was Trump’s firing of Biden-appointed BLS chief Erika McEntarfer final month — of whom FEC data counsel was a Democrat donor — over allegations that she was rigging numbers. “That prompted a pure query forward of Friday’s jobs report: Can this month’s numbers be trusted,” questioned Casselman. “The reply, based on economists and specialists in authorities statistics, is sure — however with all the identical caveats that all the time apply to the information.”
Nicely, the weak jobs information launch actually disproved the notion Trump was scheming to mess with BLS information to make him look good, and all of the Bidenomics-loving Casselman needed to do was wait to critique the roles numbers and what theu meant for Trump’s financial insurance policies. However apparently Trump Derangement Syndrome managed to get Cassleman — whose piece was final up to date 10:08 am — to prematurely snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory.
Oh, however Casselman wasn’t completed. He proceeded to drum up propaganda over President Trump’s decide to exchange McEntarfer, Heritage Basis economist “EJ Antoni, a conservative economist with a historical past of distorting statistics to help his political arguments.” Did Casselman present any examples to help his smear of Antoni, who was one of many few to name out publications like The Occasions for treating the Biden-Harris financial system prefer it was the most effective factor since chocolate ice cream? Nope.
Secondly, it’s fairly wealthy to learn Casselman speak about “distorting statistics to help” political arguments when he’s the identical one who tried to persuade readers in July that three p.c Q2 GDP progress beneath Trump — which dwarfed expectations — was by some means nonetheless a foul factor and proof of of anemic, although constructive, financial progress.”
Right here’s the humorous half: When GDP progress got here in at a pathetic 1.1 p.c within the first quarter of 2023 beneath President Joe Biden, coming in beneath forecasts of 1.9 p.c — actually the definition of “anemic” progress — Casselman was singing a totally completely different tune. Gee, we surprise why (sarcasm)?
“Greater rates of interest took a toll on the U.S. financial system in early 2023,” he acknowledged, “however free-spending shoppers are retaining a recession at bay, at the very least for now.” Actually, Casselman didn’t even point out that the GDP numbers on the time had been considerably slower than anticipated.
In March 2025, barely over a month into Trump’s second time period, Casselman and his colleague Colby Smith had the audacity to accuse him of ruining Biden’s “stable financial outlook,” successfully spitting on the folks nonetheless reeling from the worst inflation disaster in 40 years beneath Biden’s financial agenda.
Inform us once more about “distorting information to help” political arguments, Casselman.
However The Occasions reporter, true to type, cherry-picked economists who had been “anxious that Mr. Antoni, if confirmed, might undermine the company’s popularity for objectivity.” He continued: “And even earlier than then, Mr. Trump might proceed to assault the company in ways in which erode its credibility along with his supporters.”
Alexa, outline hack.
