Blacks are charter members of MAGA across Texas
Only a year ago, socialist Democrats indulged the fantasy that candidates such as former U.S. Rep. Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke were going to revolutionize Texas politics by drawing Hispanics and liberal white women into the Democratic fold. That didn’t pan out, and since Beto’s defeat in 2018 and subsequent withdrawal from the 2020 presidential campaign, the voices of black Americans in the Lone Star State are stronger and more united than ever before.
In direct contrast to Beto’s superficial “skateboards and high school Spanish” strategy, Donald Trump has earned the votes of black Texans by delivering historic prosperity to the African American community. It’s not an exaggeration to say that the Trump administration has been the most financially beneficial for black Americans since the civil rights era.
The African American unemployment rate, for instance, continues to plummet under Trump. We’re not talking about the sort of minor fluctuations that go along with normal economic cycles — the data show that we’re undergoing historic, structural changes in the American labor market. The president’s policies are erasing long-standing obstacles to the economic success of African Americans.
Over the past two years, black unemployment has hit one new all-time low after another over the past two years, recently reaching a new milestone of 5.5 percent. Before Donald Trump, 7 percent was the lowest level of joblessness ever for the black community — and that only lasted for a single month. Now, we’ve stayed below that mark for 19 consecutive months. African Americans are finally seeing the benefits of an economic boom to the same extent as the rest of the country. The gap between white and black unemployment is now at its lowest point in history: 2.1 percentage points.
Those who lived through the 1980s and 90s knows how significant that is. As recently as 2011, it was just understood and accepted that African Americans had to tolerate nearly double the unemployment rate of their white neighbors. The worst unemployment gap that year was 16.2 percent for black workers and 8 percent for whites.
Today, there are more African Americans in the workforce than ever before. Poverty is way down, with hundreds of thousands of black families raising themselves up in their communities. Household income is up in real terms, as well, making it easier for workers to amass savings and build generational wealth.
The Trump administration has implemented a variety of other initiatives that are aimed at directly empowering the black community, as well.
Trump’s commitment to help Historically Black Colleges and Universities, in particular, will have long-lasting benefits. The president recently secured $400 million for HBCUs, which is more than former President Barack Obama. Houston’s own Texas Southern University — as well as my alma mater, Prairie View A&M — will surely benefit from the influx of funds.
Even with the historic economic and educational progress we’ve made, there’s actually another great reason for Texans to stand with Trump in 2020.
Once the Democrats are no longer distracted by the 2020 election, they’ll come back to the table and help pass a bill to fix our roads, bridges, port facilities, and other infrastructure, which the president has been trying to do throughout his presidency. In rural East Texas, we all know how bad some of the roads have gotten; they’re long overdue for some federal investment. As one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the country, Houston would also benefit immensely.
Between now and November 2020, you’ll periodically hear about Democratic plans to “flip” Texas to their column, but that fantasy doesn’t line up with reality. The fact is, the MAGA coalition is expanding far more quickly than the Democrats realize, and that growth includes African Americans who are eager to protect the progress we’ve made under President Trump.