Controversial Project 2025 architect E.J. Antoni will no longer be the new head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The White House filed paperwork to the Senate to withdraw the nomination on Tuesday, according to a CNN report.
The conservative economist’s nomination was terminated following criticism of the appointment across the political spectrum, according to Politico.
“Dr EJ Antoni is a brilliant economist and an American patriot that will continue to do good work on behalf of our great country,” a White House official told CNN. “President Trump is committed to fixing the longstanding failures at the BLS that have undermined the public’s trust in critical economic data.”
The president, Axios added, citing an official, “plans to announce a new nominee very soon.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
Donald Trump announced in August that he had chosen the 37-year-old Heritage Foundation economist to replace former BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer, after the president claimed the agency had “rigged” disappointing job report figures.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that Antoni was “highly respected” in his field, and suggested reporting from the BLS would change.
“Our Economy is booming, and E.J. will ensure that the Numbers released are HONEST and ACCURATE,” the president said. “I know E.J. Antoni will do an incredible job in this new role. Congratulations E.J.!”
The move was seen as Trump’s way to influence the agency, which releases key economic data.
The shock withdrawal follows several scandals involving Antoni, including uncovered social media posts filled with extreme views and derogatory attacks on Kamala Harris.
Posts stretched back a decade using different user names and on platforms including X and right-wing social network Parler, according to a CNN report last month.
After Harris dropped out of the running for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, Antoni tweeted, “You can’t run a race on your knees.”
He also shared a false conspiracy theory about Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar being in an incestuous relationship with her brother and made an offensive comment about late Republican Senator John McCain.
The economist also consistently displayed a picture of the German World War II battleship Bismarck, which was Adolf Hitler’s favorite, in multiple interviews.
“The Bismarck, yep, in all his glory,” Antoni said on TFTC, a Bitcoin podcast, in 2023.
The White House told the Daily Beast in August that “EJ is a history buff, as many Americans are, and has an appreciation for the significance of maritime history–his office is full of a variety of artifacts and artwork featuring U.S. battleships and other famous vessels."
Antoni was also spotted in footage from the Capitol on January 6, 2021, despite the White House claiming he was a bystander on the day.
Antoni told Fox Business in August that he was preparing to implement less frequent reports, noting “the BLS should suspend issuing the monthly job reports but keep publishing the more accurate, though less timely, quarterly data.”
