President Donald Trump has said that he has nominated E.J. Antoni, chief economist at the conservative Heritage Foundation, to head the agency that compiles and publishes the nation's employment and inflation figures.

"I am pleased to announce that I am nominating Highly Respected Economist, Dr. E.J. Antoni, as the next Commissioner of the p," Trump said on social media late Monday.

"Our Economy is booming, and E.J. will ensure that the Numbers released are HONEST and ACCURATE," he added.

Antoni, if approved by the Senate, would replace Erika McEntarfer, who was appointed commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics by former President Joe Biden.

Decline in hirings

Trump fired McEntarfer on August 1 after the July jobs report showed hiring slowed sharply this spring, with job gains in May and June revised much lower than initially estimated.

Trump accused McEntarfer, without evidence, of rigging the jobs data for political reasons.

The announcement comes one day before the BLS is scheduled to release the latest inflation data, for July. It is forecast to show that consumer prices rose for the third straight month as tariffs are pushing up the cost of many imported goods.

It also came after the Labor Department reported on August 1 that the US economy added 73,000 jobs in July, significantly less than expectations of 106,000.

It also downgraded estimates for the past two months, cutting a combined 258,000 estimated jobs.