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President Donald Trump is touting what he calls a "record Black employment" under his presidency, despite the fact that Black unemployment has risen during his second term.
On Thursday (October 2), Trump posted a meme on his Truth Social platform, comparing himself to former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. The meme labeled Clinton with "record Black imprisonment," Obama with "record Black welfare," and Trump with "record Black employment."
Trump's post contradicts data showing that the all-time low for Black unemployment came under former President Joe Biden's administration in 2023, when the rate dropped to 4.8 percent.
Since Trump's return to office in 2025, the Black unemployment rate has risen steadily, from 6 percent at the start of the year to 7.5 percent as of this fall. Economists and policy advocates have raised concerns that the increase may reflect deeper instability in the job market.
“You can see how a tariff policy that’s on again, off again creates uncertainty for businesses, slows hiring, and will inevitably have a disproportionately negative effect on Black workers,” Angela Hanks, chief of policy at The Century Foundation and a former Department of Labor official under Biden, said.
“Black workers are often last hired, first fired,” Hanks added. “When you see Black unemployment rising, it’s both concerning for Black workers, but it also tends to suggest something deeper is going on in the economy.”
The ongoing federal shutdown is also expected to hit Black employment the hardest. Though Black Americans make up 13 percent of the U.S. population, they accounted for 18.5 percent of federal employees at the end of 2024.
An August report from the Center for American Progress warned that Trump’s MAGA agenda, including attacks on DEI programs and public sector jobs, poses a significant threat to the Black middle class.
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