Check this: Biden, not Trump, has the lowest rates of poverty and unemployment among Black people.

TFD – Following the end of pandemic relief programs, the supplemental poverty rate for Black individuals surged to 17.2% in 2022. Amidst this, former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden continue to clash over who has done more for the Black community, with each presenting their own set of achievements and criticisms.

A deliberate effort is being made by former President Donald Trump to win over Black voters, even if it involves making false statements.

President Joe Biden “has done nothing for you except talk,” according to Trump, who made these remarks during a roundtable discussion on Saturday at a predominantly Black church in Detroit. He also added, “During my four years, we achieved the lowest African American unemployment rate and the lowest African American poverty rate ever recorded—ever, ever recorded.”

Facts First: Trump’s claims about having achieved the lowest Black unemployment rate and poverty rate ever recorded were true when he made them before Biden took office, but they are not true today. Both of the record lows set during Trump’s presidency were surpassed by new record lows during Biden’s presidency.

It would have been accurate for Trump to claim on Saturday that Black poverty and unemployment fell to historically low levels during his presidency. Rather, he falsely presented statistics that have been outperformed by Biden as proof that he has accomplished more for the Black community than Biden.

Now let’s examine the data.

Under Biden, black unemployment reached a record low in 2023.

Under Biden, the Black or African American unemployment rate fell to a record-low 4.8% in April 2023. That exceeded the 5.3% record low set under the Trump administration in August and September of that year. (Note: This official data series only extends back to 1972.)

As of May 2024, the latest unemployment rate for Black or African American individuals is 6.1%. Even though it is a substantial improvement above the 2023 record, it is still low by historical standards. It is also the same as the rate that Trump had in February 2020, right before the Covid-19 pandemic sent jobless rates through the roof.

January 2021, the month Biden succeeded Trump, saw a 9.3% unemployment rate among Black or African American workers. The early pandemic jump serves as an excellent illustration of how variables other than the president’s identity can impact unemployment numbers and all other economic data.

Black poverty: Under Biden, a record low was reached in 2022.

The official Black poverty rate reached a historic low of 17.1% in 2022, the latest year for which data is available, under Biden’s administration. Under Trump, the official Black poverty rate was at a record low of 18.8% in 2019.

There are various metrics used to quantify poverty. Under the Supplemental Poverty Measure, which takes into account both monetary and non-monetary government benefits, tax credits, people’s required expenses, and regional variations in the cost of living, the Biden administration likewise retains the record low for Black individual poverty, at 11.3%. Under Trump, the lowest additional percentage of Black individual poverty was 14.7% in 2020.

Following the expiration of pandemic relief programs that had cut the figure in 2020 and 2021, the supplemental statistic for Black individual poverty soared to 17.2% in 2022.