Donald J. Trump has been talking up his economic record for Black voters. The legacy of the last eight years is complicated.The outcome of the 2024 election may hinge on the support of the Black vote, which is heavily influenced by the state of the American economy. As a result, candidates are placing a great deal of emphasis on which administration has done more to improve the lives of Black workers in recent years. Former President Donald J. Trump, the Republican candidate, boasts about the progress made under his leadership, citing the lowest African American unemployment and poverty rates on record. However, these measures continued to improve under the Biden administration, with joblessness reaching a new low and poverty rates declining even further. According to Valerie Wilson, a labor economist at the liberal-leaning advocacy organization EPI Action, Black workers are currently doing better than they were in 2019. This may seem like a clear victory for Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, especially when coupled with recent increases in Black homeownership rates and a decrease in the Black unemployment rate in September. However, the economy has not been equally beneficial for all Black Americans. The rapid inflation has had a negative impact on many families, eroding the gains made in wages. While the labor market for Black workers was strong in 2022 and 2023, the effects of rising prices may be preventing people from feeling like they are making progress. In a recent New York Times/Siena College poll of Black likely voters, nearly three in four respondents rated the economy as fair or poor. This is significant because economic issues are a top priority for Black voters, not just for themselves, but also for the overall well-being of the Black community, when deciding how to vote.
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