USA TODAY International Edition
Opposing View: Choose Trump for more economic progress
With just one day until the election, some Black voters may still be grappling with whether to vote for former Vice President Joe Biden or President Donald Trump. Biden said, “If you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t Black,” because apparently, he owns the Black vote. But Blacks are not a monolith, and they are not indebted to Biden nor to the Democratic Party.
If their decision comes down to which candidate will continue the economic progress that lifted median Black household incomes to their highest levels on record and pushed Black unemployment rates and poverty rates down to their lowest levels, there’s really just one choice: President Trump.
Trump’s name- calling and rhetoric are indefensible. But if actions matter most, his pro- growth policies of corporate tax cuts and deregulation merit another term because they worked.
Minority groups benefited greatly from the remarkable labor market that preceded the coronavirus epidemic. Unemployment rates for Blacks hovered for months at or near historic lows. Workers with less than a high school diploma and criminal records left the sidelines of the workforce.
Before the coronavirus, the labor force participation rates of Blacks, prime- age workers 25 to 54, and women ticked up from Obama- era lows.
Even years into the Obama economic recovery, these workers were still leaving the labor force.
High employment under Trump led to minorities experiencing the largest income gains. Real median income grew by 7.9% for Blacks in 2019.
Income gains for Blacks translated into real economic mobility. Not only did the poverty rate for Blacks fall to an all time record low in 2019, but it also dipped below 20% for the first time. At the other end of the economic scale, more Black households earned six- figure incomes than the year before.
In addition to job creation, entrepreneurship has flourished under Trump. According to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation’s report, the average rate of new entrepreneurs under the president’s first three years surpassed the averages for the previous two presidents. Women- owned businesses also surged, adding more than 1,800 new businesses each day in 2017 and 2018, well outpacing the rate under Obama.
President Trump has ambitious promises, but his track record says he can get it done. It’s not surprising that he is gaining among Blacks and registering significant support in these final days. If they view this race in light of their gains, rather than rhetoric, the choice becomes clear.