US President Donald Trump on Thursday said he has directed the Commerce Department to revise how the Census Bureau collects population data, a move aimed at excluding undocumented immigrants from official counts.
In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump said future census operations would be based on “modern day facts and figures and, importantly, using the results and information gained from the Presidential Election of 2024.” The statement suggests Trump may attempt to inject political considerations into data collection processes that underpin a wide range of federal statistics, from poverty rates to economic indicators.
He specifically noted that people living in the country illegally would no longer be counted: “People in our Country illegally should not be counted in the Census,” he wrote.
The move marks the latest in a series of efforts by the US President to reshape how the federal government measures social and economic trends.
Just last week, Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labour Statistics, Erika McEntarfer, after revised data showed that US employers added 258,000 fewer jobs than initially reported in May and June. The correction pointed to a significant weakening in hiring under Trump’s administration — a potential blow to his narrative of economic resurgence.
The White House defended the dismissal, stating that the issue lay in the magnitude of the revisions and that the administration remains committed to maintaining data accuracy.
