• Celebrity
    • Of The Essence
    • Celebrity News
    • If Not For My Girls
    • The State Of R&B
    • Time Of Essence
  • Fashion
    • 2023 Best In Black Fashion Awards
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • Red Carpet
    • Fashion News
    • Accessories
  • Beauty
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
    • 2023 Best In Black Beauty
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Hair
  • Lifestyle
    • Love
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
    • Bridal Bliss
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
  • Entrepreneurship
    • Money & Career
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Shopping
  • Video
  • Events
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2023 Wellness House
    • 2023 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2023 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
  • Studios
  • Girls United

WHERE BLACK CULTURE, COMMUNITY AND CONSCIOUSNESS MEET

Sign up for ESSENCE Newsletters the keep the Black women at the forefront of conversation.

Your email is required.
Your email is in invalid format.
Confirm email is required.
Email did not match.
Select the newsletters you'd like to receive:
Please select at least one option.
By clicking Subscribe Now, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Skip to content
SUBSCRIBE
  • MAGAZINE
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Celebrity
    • Of The Essence
    • Celebrity News
    • If Not For My Girls
    • The State Of R&B
    • Time Of Essence
  • Fashion
    • 2023 Best In Black Fashion Awards
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • Red Carpet
    • Fashion News
    • Accessories
  • Beauty
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
    • 2023 Best In Black Beauty
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Hair
      • Hair News
      • Natural
      • Relaxed
      • Transitioning
      • Weave
      • 4C
  • Lifestyle
    • Love
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
    • Bridal Bliss
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
  • Entrepreneurship
    • Money & Career
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Shopping
  • Video
  • Events
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2023 Wellness House
    • 2023 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2023 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
  • Studios
  • Girls United
Home · Politics

Let's Be Clear: Donald Trump Is Not Responsible For The Drop In Black Unemployment 

Trump Black Unemployment Rate State Of The Union
Bloomberg/Getty Images
By Christina Coleman · Updated October 24, 2020

Despite President Donald Trump boasting at Tuesday’s State of the Union address that his administration has lowered the Black unemployment rate — or his tweets to JAY-Z about this very topic — there are things called facts.

And the fact is, this is simply untrue.

On Tuesday night, Trump delivered his very first State of the Union address, complete with dangerous rhetoric about immigrants, false promises of the American Dream and even a congratulatory comment about the way this nation came together to recover after a series of damaging hurricanes (FEMA is set to pull aid from Puerto Rico this week). But what had everyone confused was his statement on the Black unemployment rate.

“And something I’m very proud of, African-American unemployment stands at the lowest rate ever recorded,” Trump said to applause and a very Howard Dean-esque roar from a singular, very excited individual we cannot identify.

Black lawmakers, who wore Kente cloth to protest Trump’s anti-Black “shithole countries” statement, were not impressed. 

At all.

Trump applauds his work on African-American unemployment. Reaction: pic.twitter.com/Lphdj00TYY

— Pod Save America (@PodSaveAmerica) January 31, 2018

And if you’re a fan of facts, you’re probably not impressed either.

Trump was right about one thing, however. The Black unemployment rate is at its lowest. But that doesn’t mean it’s his doing.

From the Los Angeles Times:

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported last month that the unemployment rate for blacks dropped to 6.8% in December, the lowest since the government began tracking the figure in 1972. The sharp decline began eight years ago. The rate peaked in 2010 at 16.8%, which was the highest since 1984 in the aftermath of the Great Recession. Trump has presided over a continuation of a trend in which the rate has declined about 1 percentage point a year.

The truth is, the Black unemployment rate has been on a steady decline since 2011, according to Vox. Not only can this movement be attributed to a presidency before his, but Trump and his administration haven’t exactly been clear about what policies or practices are aiding in this decline.

Likely because they don’t exist.

Beyond anti-Black sentiment and the sickening exploitation of a grieving Black family to push his xenophobic stance on immigration during Tuesday’s address, we’re not sure when we’re on Trump’s radar. 

COMPANY INFORMATION
  • Our Company
  • Customer Service
  • Essence Ventures
  • Change Your Address
  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Internships
  • Media Kit
  • tag
SUBSCRIBE
  • Newsletters
  • Give a Gift of ESSENCE
  • Magazine Tablet Edition
FOLLOW US
MORE ON ESSENCE
  • Home
  • Love
  • Celebrity
  • Beauty
  • Hair
  • Fashion
  • ESSENCE festival

ESSENCE.com is part of ESSENCE Communications, Inc.

Essence may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.

©2023 ESSENCE Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Essence.com Advertising Terms

Get The ESSENCE Newsletter and
Special Offers delivered to your inbox

By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Get The ESSENCE Magazine
by subscribing below
subscribe now