President Donald Trump and his administration spent the last month portraying recently dreadful jobs data as a “ scam ” and an organized vendetta against his presidency. That effort hit a brick wall Friday after the government produced updated jobs numbers that painted an even more concerning portrait of the US economy.

Trump last month labeled the disappointing July jobs report as “rigged,” and fired Erika McEntarfer from her role as Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner. Afterward, top administration officials bent over backward to explain why the president was justified in his extraordinary action, which was based on a claim he has yet to substantiate: The BLS’ data collection is lousy, administration officials maintained, and revisions to the jobs report are too dramatic month t

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