On the campaign trail in 2016, then-candidate Donald Trump urged minorities to take a chance on his presidency in the hopes of earning votes from groups that had long gravitated to the Democratic Party.
“The Democrats have failed completely in the inner cities,” he said at a campaign stop in Akron, Ohio. “I ask you this — to the African Americans, who I employ so many, so many people, to the Hispanics, tremendous people: What the hell do you have to lose?”
“Give me a chance,” he implored.
Fast forward nearly two years and those who were willing to give President Trump a chance are now reaping the benefits. Not just white Americans as the press would lead you to believe, but African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Asian Americans as well.
Trump has cultivated a roaring economy – one in which the New York Times admitted they had run out of words to describe because it was so good – for all Americans, but is truly driving down unemployment rates for minority groups, with African American, Asian, and Hispanic unemployment hitting near record lows in recent months.
Hispanic unemployment plummeted to 4.5% in July, a new record low. And in May, African-American unemployment dipped below 6 percent for the first time.
Additionally, the gap between minority unemployment and that of the general population continues to narrow. Under President Trump, for example, the black unemployment rate has averaged 7.2 percent, narrowing the gap with the general population to 3 percent. Under President Obama, that gap sat at 5.2 percent.
Likewise, the Hispanic population that saw a 1.9 percent unemployment gap under President Obama have seen that distance decrease to 0.8 percent.
I am proud to have fought for and secured the LOWEST African American and Hispanic unemployment rates in history. Now I’m pushing for prison reform to give people who have paid their debt to society a second chance. I will never stop fighting for ALL Americans!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 11, 2018
Far from simply being content to create the millions of jobs he has thus far, President Trump has focused on providing jobs training programs that help Americans who can’t afford a college education earn money while they learn.
Economists have bemoaned the lack of proper skill sets for employable people with the job openings available for years.
“Some of the current job vacancies are unquestionably due to the skills gap,” said Gary Burtless, an economist with the Brookings Institution in June of 2017.
On July 19th, President Trump signed an executive order on workforce development that encourages employers to increase on-the-job training.
CNN announced that as a result, business leaders from prominent companies such as General Motors, Home Depot, Lockheed Martin, and Walmart, had “signed a pledge to expand apprenticeship programs, increase on-the-job training, and educate both students and workers throughout their careers.”
Trump executive order encourages new job training programs – CNNPolitics https://t.co/PSFwKA8H05
— Karen Long (@kaci1951) July 21, 2018
It isn’t just jobs and job training in which minority groups are now winning under President Trump. He has been an avid advocate of prison reform, supporting The First Step Act, sentencing reforms, and hosting a Prison Reform Summit where he sought input from over 100 activists, experts, and policymakers.
One of his more high-profile moments came when Kim Kardashian West met with the President and other officials, including senior adviser Jared Kushner, to discuss the matter.
Kardashian had tweeted her hope that Trump would “grant clemency to Ms. Alice Marie Johnson who is serving a life sentence for a first-time, non-violent drug offense.”
I would like to thank President Trump for his time this afternoon. It is our hope that the President will grant clemency to Ms. Alice Marie Johnson who is serving a life sentence for a first-time, non-violent drug offense.
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) May 31, 2018
In June, he commuted Johnson’s sentence.
In August, President Trump expressed support for a bipartisan compromise Prison Reform Bill, which would lower lifetime mandatory minimum sentences for people with prior nonviolent drug felony convictions, and expand exceptions to the application of mandatory minimum sentences to more people with criminal histories.
President @realDonaldTrump supports reasonable, compassionate prison reform that keeps our streets safe by helping former inmates transition to life on the outside. ⬇️ https://t.co/yXsBrEVuWW
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 9, 2018
He’s also putting his money where his mouth is.
In an effort to promote the growth of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), President Trump has increased funding for various HBCU programs.
Under this administration, technical education and vocational studies, programs that are heavily utilized by minorities, have received $1.2 billion in funding.
And last but not least, under President Trump’s first term, Obamacare’s harmful and costly individual mandate has been repealed and access to Short-Term Limited-Duration plans has been expanded in order to provide more affordable health care plans to the American people.
All Americans, including minorities, are benefitting greatly from having taken a chance on President Trump.
