Selective: Trump's Comments on the Black Community
The Claim
President Trump’s administration has done more for the Black community than any President since Abraham Lincoln.
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One of President Trump’s claims is that he has "done more for the Black Community than any President since Abraham Lincoln.” President Trump put this claim on social media in June 2020, and it was liked or retweeted over 300,000 times. He repeated the claim during the September 29, 2020 presidential debate.
Misbar’s Analysis
According to Misbar’s investigation, President Trump is selective in his claim of what has been done for the African American communities in the United States in at least three measures.
Unemployment
According to U.S. News, the Black unemployment rate reached a record low during the Trump administration, 5.4 percent in August 2019. However, the pandemic erased many of these gains with the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showing the Black unemployment rate at 13 percent in August 2020, compared to an overall unemployment rate of 8.4 percent.
Rate of Poverty
Poverty is based on an average annual income for a family of four. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the 2019 poverty rate of 10.5 percent was the lowest rate observed since estimates were initially published for 1959.
Between 2018 and 2019, poverty rates declined for all major race and Hispanic origin groups.
The poverty rate for White Americans decreased 1.0 percentage point to 9.1%. The poverty rate for Black Americans decreased by 2.0 percentage points to 18.8%. The poverty rate for Asian Americans decreased 2.8 percentage points to 7.3%. The poverty rate for Hispanic Americans decreased by 1.8 percentage points to 15.7%. The percentage point change in poverty rates from 2018 to 2019 for Black Americans was not significantly different than the percentage point change for White, Asian, or Hispanic Americans.
Crime Rate
The U.S. has two measures of crime. They are published by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
According to the BJS, the rate of violent crime excluding simple assault declined 15% from 2018 to 2019. Among females, the rate of violent victimization excluding simple assault fell 27% from 2018 to 2019. There were 880,000 fewer victims of serious crimes (generally felonies) in 2019 than in 2018, a 19% drop. From 2018 to 2019, 29% fewer Black Americans and 22% fewer White Americans were victims of serious crimes. The rate of violent victimization in urban areas—based on the NCVS's new classifications of urban, suburban, and rural areas—declined 20% from 2018 to 2019.
The FBI reports that the violent crime rate in the United States fell 5% from 2016 to 2018. The murder rate fell 7% from 2016 to 2018. The rate of rape (revised definition) in the U.S. rose every year from 2014 to 2018, rising 15% over that span. The U.S. robbery rate fell 16% from 2016 to 2018. The U.S. aggravated assault rate rose 8% from 2014 to 2016 and fell 0.6% from 2016 to 2018.
In at least three measures, the year’s of Trump’s presidency have shown overall improvement in Black American unemployment, poverty, and crime. However, within the broader statistics are uneven geographic and racial discrepancies. President Trump has repeatedly disavowed Black Lives Matter, a group seeking to fight racial injustice. Further, Black Americans have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19, which many blame on Trump’s handling of the pandemic.
