Trump touts recovered economy in address to the nation, but Black Americans aren’t feeling it

For millions of Americans, including some Black and young voters who helped expand his coalition in 2024, Trump’s claim of an improved economy isn’t a lived reality.

President Donald Trump sought to sell a positive outlook on the economy during an evening address to the nation from the White House on Wednesday.

“11 months ago, I inherited a mess, and I’m fixing it,” said Trump, who blamed the Biden Administration for driving up costs.

“The last administration and their allies in Congress looted our Treasury for trillions of dollars, driving up prices and everything at levels never seen before. I am bringing those high prices down and bringing them down very fast,” the president vowed.

But for millions of Americans, including some Black and young voters who helped expand his coalition in the 2024 presidential election, Trump’s claim of an improved economy isn’t a lived reality.

Trump touted, and at times exaggerated, economic figures in an attempt to show how his policies are improving the nation’s economy. For example, he took credit for the decline in egg prices, but significantly overstated the drop in average gas prices.

“Wages are going up much faster than inflation,” noted Trump, who falsely claimed that “inflation is stopped.” According to the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics, inflation is at the same rate that it was when Trump entered office in January.

A major economic indicator, the U.S. unemployment rate, is at its highest since the pandemic in 2021 at 4.6%, and Black Americans (8.3%) and young people (10.6%) are seeing even worse joblessness.

Since taking office, Trump has implemented uneven and unpredictable tariffs on foreign trade, which have driven up costs and led to businesses laying off workers. The jobless rate for Black Americans was at 6.2% when Trump was inaugurated on Jan. 20. It has steadily increased since June.

“When President Trump took office, Black unemployment was just above 6% – a figure that is still unacceptable, but close to historic lows. In just under a year, his chaotic economic policies have driven it up to 8.3%, the highest level since August 2021,” Angela Hanks, a former Biden Labor Department official, told theGrio.

The current chief of policy at The Century Foundation said, “His attacks on the stability of our economy pose the greatest threat to Black workers, who often face greater challenges in the labor market, including because of discrimination–something the Trump Administration has all but welcomed.”

Hanks added, “Between rising unemployment rates and rising prices, Black workers are unfortunately feeling the brunt of Trump’s economy.”

The Black unemployment rate reached its lowest point in history at 4.8% in April 2023, under the administration of former President Joe Biden.

“The Trump Administration’s so-called ‘golden age’ is only for the billionaires he’s enriching by gutting social programs. For everyone else, it’s the complete opposite,” NAACP President Derrick Johnson said of the Black jobs numbers in a statement to theGrio.

“He’s made our lives more expensive, our jobs market weaker, and our streets less safe. If we had to give Donald Trump’s economy a grade, it would be an F. Fail fail fail fail fail.”

While campaigning during the 2024 election, Trump infamously claimed that undocumented immigrants were taking “Black jobs” away from African-American workers. However, despite executing his aggressive immigration enforcement of mass arrests and deportations, according to a report by the Center for American Progress, Trump’s policies are disproportionately hurting the Black middle class.

An anticipated rise in costs for health care premiums will only further hurt Americans’ pocketbooks. Public polling already reveals President Trump is losing ground on the economy. Only 36% of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the economy, according to a new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll.

“Despite President Trump’s past sales pitches and current claims to the contrary, his policy agenda for the Black middle class has been a bait and switch. These policies have the deliberate effect of erasing the Black middle class and making it unattainable for any future generation,” says the report authored by William Roberts and Mariam Rashid.

“The Trump administration has made deliberate policy choices that threaten Black middle-class families—perhaps that is why his support among Black Americans has collapsed so precipitously since returning to office.”