WHEN TRUMP PRAISED BLACK PEOPLE IN AMERICA

Speaking at the October 2019 Young Black Leadership Summit, then-President Donald Trump seemingly acknowledged that America was built on the backs of Black people. He also recognised that Black people in America are disproportionately affected economically, arguing that his administration - unlike the democrats - had dramatically improved their conditions.

However, this was an exaggeration. By the time of his statement, nearly three years into his presidency since January 2017, Black unemployment rates had only dropped by 2.1%. This slight improvement was short-lived, as the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 disproportionately affected Black people, who experienced higher rates of infections, hospitalisations and deaths. This disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Black people was directly linked to their economic disenfranchisement in the US.

As Dr. Michael Lucien, Associate Medical Director of the University of California Davis Health Community Physicians Group, explained, “it’s not that Black people genetically have a higher risk of getting COVID-19. It’s about the social determinants of health. Black people often have higher risk factors that make them more susceptible to this disease.”

Trump’s administration also advocated eliminating affirmative-action measures in areas such as education and housing. Although the Supreme Court ruling against affirmative action (an initiative aimed at levelling the playing field and ensuring equal opportunities without discrimination) was only passed in 2023 under the Biden administration, the ruling was decisively influenced by Trump’s three Supreme Court appointees.

Meanwhile, housing legislation under Trump regressed when his administration repealed key provisions of the Fair Housing Act, thereby undermining efforts to integrate housing and provide equal access to affordable housing for Black people America. As a result, poor Black neighbourhoods remained underfunded.

Thus, Trump's words, which were met with applause, amounted to little more than virtue signalling. Will his inauguration in January lead to different outcomes for Black people in America?

Video credit: @USA Today (YouTube)

Sources:

https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/albany/story/2020/07/22/white-house-scraps-fair-housing-rule-as-trump-bids-for-suburban-voters-1303170

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/01/trump-black-americans-policies-433744

https://health.ucdavis.edu/news/headlines/4-things-the-black-population-needs-to-know-about-covid-19/2022/02#:~:text=COVID%2D19%20has%20disproportionately%20affected,compared%20to%20the%20white%20population.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/2021-ERP.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1T5_yYN6w2w