Six months into his comeback term, Donald Trump has taken full ownership of the US economy. For better or worse, his party must now sell it to voters.

It is too soon to know whether the United States is on a similar path. But economists and other experts said that Mr. Trump’s decision on Friday to fire Erika McEntarfer, the Senate-confirmed head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, was a troubling step in that direction.

Tariffs putting the squeeze on businesses and consumers while bringing in billions of dollars for the United States government.