The data that caused President Donald Trump to fire the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics because he did not like the July employment report, calling it "rigged," is being taken as serious evidence by Federal Reserve officials of a slowing economy and as a justification for the interest rate cuts Trump wants.

The monthly jobs report is already closely-watched on Wall Street and in Washington but has taken on a new importance after President Donald Trump on Friday fired the official who oversees it.

US President Donald Trump has picked an economist at a conservative think tank to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), after firing its previous commissioner last week following weaker-than-expected jobs data.

President Trump announced E.J. Antoni as his nominee to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Monday, after he fired the former commissioner earlier this month and blamed her for a weaker-than-expected jobs report.

President Donald Trump nominated Heritage Foundation economist E.J. Antoni to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics. His nomination comes shortly after Trump fired former BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer,

President Trump promoted his own version of reality in the Oval Office after firing the head of the agency that collects employment statistics last week.