Donald Trump says that if he were black, he would be angry at President Obama, the first black president. “People don’t know I’m a unifier,” Trump, the GOP front-runner, said at a rally in Myrtle Beach, S.C. “You know, Barack Obama, African-American. If I were African-American, I would be so angry at him.” [1] Donald Trump is right on the mark here. Black voters should be royally pissed off at Barack Obama. He promised them everything before he got into office and gave them nothing. In fact, he has made it much, much worse for them. [9] The Republican frontrunner brought up Obama’s record on black unemployment, which the real estate mogul says has soared under the first black president’s watch. [3] “African-American youth has an almost 60 percent unemployment rate,” he said. “African-American people that are 25, prime-time age, 25 to 40, have such a high unemployment rate, you wouldn’t believe it. It’s gone up and it’s gotten worse since he’s been president.” [1] Indeed, by nearly every economic measurement, black people are far worse off since President Obama took office. The Bureau of Labor Statistics most recent report says the U.S. unemployment rate is 4.9 percent. African-Americans had an 8.8 percent jobless rate. There are more black Americans living in poverty today–10.8 million at 26.2 percent–than there were in 2009 (25.8 percent), when President Obama took office. A jarring 26.4 percent of black households receive food stamps assistance, despite black Americans being just 13 percent of the total population. Black children under the age 18 made up 27 percent of the black population in 2014 but are 38 percent of blacks in poverty. The black jobless rate is currently 9.1 percent, nearly double the national average. [3]
The billionaire said he would do more to help the African-American community than Obama has done. “Now, he’s African-American,” Trump said. “If I were African-American, I wouldn’t like him very much. I will do more for the African-American people than Barack Obama has ever done. “I’ll do more in one year, I will do more for the African-American people in one year than Barack Obama has done in his seven year, soon to be eight years. And then, by the way, he’s out, and thank goodness,” he added. Trump also suggested he would win over a surprising number of Democrats in a general election. “By the way, we’re going to have a tremendous crossover vote, you watch,” he said. “But you know what? We’re going to have a tremendous crossover vote. People have no idea.” [1] Trump further declared that he would do well with black voters on Election Day if he becomes the GOP presidential nominee, despite the group’s strong Democratic lean in recent presidential elections “I’m going to do well with the African-Americans,” he promised. “I’m going to do great with them because they get it. They’re smart. They know jobs are going to come and I’m bringing the jobs back.” [7]
