Thanks, Mr. Trump

Project 21, a conservative African-American policy group, is applauding the president for bringing jobs to inner cities and crediting Trump’s populist, America-first economic agenda with the lowest black unemployment rate in 17 years, down from 16.8% at one point during Obama’s presidency. Not surprisingly, mainstream media essentially refuses to cover this good news.

By John Friend

Despite the persistent efforts of the hostile fake news media to discredit and demonize every move President Donald Trump makes, evidence continues to mount demonstrating that the economic prospects for all Americans—including black Americans—are looking brighter and brighter with each passing day.

Trump’s populist, America-first economic agenda has prioritized creating and maintaining jobs in the U.S., reinvigorating American manufacturing and industry, cutting taxes, and dismantling or restructuring trade deals that favor multinational corporations or other nations. The president has repeatedly called for prioritizing American workers and American businesses, putting the interests of U.S. workers and industry first, a stark departure from virtually every American presidential administration in modern memory.

Black Americans in particular have benefited economically under Trump. The unemployment rate for black Americans fell to 7% in September, a 17-year low. One year ago, the black unemployment rate was 8.3%, and had reached a high of 16.8% in March 2010 at the peak of Obama’s reign.

A variety of black conservatives and activists have praised the Trump administration for the improved economic conditions for not only black Americans but all Americans. Project 21, an initiative of the National Center for Public Policy Research, endeavors to promote the views of black conservatives “whose entrepreneurial spirit, dedication to family, and commitment to individual responsibility has not traditionally been echoed by the nation’s civil rights establishment,” according to the Project 21 official webpage. Leaders and representatives of Project 21 applauded Trump’s economic policies and the resulting consumer and worker confidence in the economy.

“Commonsense measures to reduce regulation are a major step in improving American economic conditions,” Project 21 advisory board co-chair Horace Cooper recently stated. “Once Congress steps up to reduce taxes and repeal Obamacare, the markets and the economy will skyrocket— taking such good fortunes to black America and the rest of the nation.”

Unsurprisingly, this positive news has received little coverage in the fake news media, which is largely hostile to Trump and his America-first agenda.

“With the black unemployment rate falling to its lowest point since April 2000, and considering the persistently high levels of double-digit employment that existed during most of the previous administration, this news should really be garnering more attention,” noted Dr. Derryck Green, a Project 21 member who focuses on economics and black unemployment.

“This should be a source of economic optimism because the job market is expanding and improving overall—particularly among American blacks who were hit hard during the sluggish, so-called economic ‘recovery’ touted by our previous president. It bears remembering that the black unemployment rate at that point had skyrocketed. It was at or near 15% on nine occasions, and near or above 16% 24 other times. While still too high for my liking at 7%, the black unemployment rate has significantly improved since the days of double digits.”

By almost any objective measure, workers and consumers appear to be more confident in their economic prospects than at any other time since before the economic crisis in the mid-2000s. Americans of all racial and ethnic backgrounds are seeing their economic prospects rise, especially since Trump took office.

Hopefully, Trump will continue to work to implement his populist, America-first foreign and domestic policies.

John Friend is a freelance writer who lives in California.