The White House has now reportedly withdrawn President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics, E.J. Antoni, only weeks after Trump dismissed the agency’s previous commissioner over what he described as “rigged” jobs data.
Antoni, an economist at the Heritage Foundation, was tapped by the president in August and celebrated in a Truth Social post as a “Highly Respected Economist.”
Trump had positioned him as a reformer who would bring greater transparency to an agency long criticized by conservatives for its opaque methods.
But Antoni’s nomination unraveled after CNN’s KFile reported on a now-deleted Twitter account attributed to him.
The account contained sexually charged remarks about Vice President Kamala Harris and disparaging posts aimed at gay people.
The revelation quickly became fodder for Democrats and left some Republicans questioning whether his confirmation was viable.
Speaking to CNN, Sen. Bill Cassidy, Republican chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, signaled that the nomination had been withdrawn. “If you just look at who we’ve noticed, I think you’ll know whether he’s been pulled or not,” Cassidy said. Pressed further on whether Antoni’s nomination was officially off the table, Cassidy replied simply, “Correct.”
The White House, while acknowledging the decision to move on, defended Antoni’s credentials in a statement Tuesday evening. “E.J. Antoni remains a brilliant economist and an American patriot,” the statement read, adding that President Trump “will soon name another nominee” for the bureau’s top post.
The controversy underscores the heightened stakes around the leadership of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, an agency that plays a central role in shaping public understanding of the economy.
Trump’s decision in August to dismiss Erika McEntarfer, the previous commissioner, came on the heels of a disappointing July jobs report and sharp revisions to earlier figures.
Though such revisions are standard in the agency’s reporting process, Trump accused officials of “fixing the numbers” to understate economic progress under his administration.
By removing McEntarfer and attempting to install Antoni, the White House signaled its intent to exert greater scrutiny over how jobs and employment data are gathered and presented.
Conservatives have long argued that federal statistical agencies operate with too little transparency, giving wide latitude to bureaucrats whose interpretations can sway markets and politics alike.
The collapse of Antoni’s nomination is likely to frustrate those efforts, at least in the short term. Yet the administration has insisted it remains committed to finding a candidate who both shares Trump’s skepticism of entrenched bureaucracies and can withstand the scrutiny of a partisan confirmation process.
Antoni’s withdrawal reflects the increasingly hostile climate in which Republican nominees must operate. Past social media posts, often years old, have become decisive weapons for opponents, derailing candidates regardless of their professional qualifications.
For now, the White House has turned its attention to identifying a new nominee who can carry forward the president’s pledge to restore what he has called “honest numbers” at the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The battle over who leads the agency promises to remain a flashpoint in the broader fight over how Americans measure — and perceive — the health of the economy.
[READ MORE: Trump Revokes Colombian President’s Visa After He Calls For Mutiny]
