As August unfolds in one of the warmest summers on record, a chill is coming from the White House that should give us all pause because the whiff of authoritarianism hangs over the Capitol — and the rest of the land. And it is not just from the National Guard being put on the streets in Washington, D.C.

On Aug. 1, the federal Labor Department issued a monthly jobs report showing the weakest pace of hiring for any three-month period since the pandemic recession in 2020. Yes, 73,000 jobs were added in July, but it was far below expectations. Was the Trump economy tanking only seven months after he took office?

The president, who cannot accept bad news, even if true, proceeded to fire Dr. Erika McEntarfer, the longtime commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. He accused her of manipulating the monthly jobs report for “political purposes,” a tactic virtually impossible in that world of computer-generated numbers.

“The Economy is BOOMING under ‘TRUMP,’” the President insisted. Of course. Why not just prove it with the statistics as a free and open discussion would suggest. Truth will rise to the top, no?

But, instead, the President turned to silencing his critic: “You’re fired!"

Who in the Labor Department will dare to tell the real truth now about the economy? Gagging or punishing people for their speech “chills” everyone from speaking out or from daring to criticize the Great Wizard behind the curtain.

Of course, the CEO of any big company has the right to fire people, even with baseless accusations. But the real issue here is the method in his madness. Backdoor censorship like Trump’s has the same........

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