U.S. President Donald Trump got some bad economic news Friday, and responded by shooting the messenger.
Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, hours after it sent markets tumbling with a report that showed a dramatic slowdown in U.S. hiring. It’s an escalation of his campaign against economic institutions long held to be above partisan politics — one that until now has principally targeted the Federal Reserve.
And Trump got an unexpected opportunity that same afternoon to exert more influence at the central bank, too, when Gov. Adriana Kugler announced her imminent resignation, just as investors were still digesting the jobs numbers and the BLS news. He’ll now get to name a replacement, likely one who’s inclined to support his drive for lower interest rates.
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