Krugman apologizes for saying Trump might have manufactured positive job figures

New York Times columnist Paul Krugman apologized Friday after suggesting that President Trump may have influenced surprisingly positive job figures for the month of May. 

His comments came after a Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report released Friday that showed the economy added 2.5 million jobs and unemployment dropped to 13.3 percent last month as businesses began to reopen after coronavirus-related closures.

“This being the Trump era, you can’t completely discount the possibility that they’ve gotten to the BLS, but it’s much more likely that the models used to produce these numbers — they aren’t really raw data — have gone haywire in a time of pandemic,” Krugman tweeted. 

This being the Trump era, you can’t completely discount the possibility that they’ve gotten to the BLS, but it’s much more likely that the models used to produce these numbers — they aren’t really raw data — have gone haywire in a time of pandemic 3/

— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) June 5, 2020

His comments received widespread backlash, including from Erica Groshen, a former BLS head. 

“As former BLS Commissioner, I see no red flags,” she tweeted. “And, knowing the processes used and integrity of BLS staff, I think it very unlikely.”

@jasonfurman is spot on. As former BLS Commissioner, I see no red flags. And, knowing the processes used and integrity of BLS staff, I think it very unlikely. Commissioners see no number before it’s final. If I hear anything different, I’ll trumpet it loudly. @Friends_of_BLS https://t.co/yjyXUuxAtA

— Erica Groshen (@EricaGroshen) June 5, 2020

Krugman later apologized, noting he was receiving a lot of “outraged pushback over even allowing the possibility of something amiss at BLS.”

Getting a lot of outraged pushback over even allowing the possibility of something amiss at BLS. I was just covering myself, because so many weird things have happened lately. But I apologize for any suggestion that a highly professional agency might have been corrupted. 1/

— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) June 5, 2020