Under President Joe Biden, “Black unemployment is the lowest in American history.”
Donna Brazile, Reince Priebus disagreed on record for Black unemployment. Brazile is closer to right
If your time is short
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The all-time low for Black unemployment was set less than a year ago under Joe Biden.
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Since that record was set, it has risen half a percentage point, to 5.3%.
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On ABC’s “This Week,” two members of the show’s roundtable segment sparred over President Joe Biden’s economic accomplishments, including whether Black unemployment is at an all-time low.
Donna Brazile, a longtime Democratic campaign official, and Reince Priebus, a former Republican National Committee chair and Donald Trump’s first White House chief of staff, split on the question Feb. 4.
Brazile touted Biden’s record: “He’s growing the economy. He’s investing in manufacturing. Black unemployment is the lowest in American history.”
Priebus responded, “No, it’s not.”
They continued:
Brazile: “I mean, so, yes, it is.”
Priebus: “No, it’s not.”
Brazile: “Oh, seriously?”
Priebus: “Black unemployment?”
Brazile: “Black unemployment. I mean, look, we’re not going back to slavery, OK?”
Host George Stephanopoulos cut off the exchange before it could be resolved. So, we decided to check the data.
Brazile has a point: The all-time low was set under Biden less than a year ago, when Black unemployment fell to 4.8% in April 2023. (This statistic has been kept since 1972, so “all time” really means about five decades.)
Black unemployment has risen slightly since then, while remaining low historically.
By the most recent month, January 2024, the rate had ticked up half a percentage point to 5.3%. That ties the low achieved under Biden’s predecessor, Trump, set in August and September of 2019.
Trump’s supporters can also say that his record on Black unemployment is strong historically — at least until the coronavirus pandemic hit.
Before Trump’s presidency, the record low for Black unemployment had been 7%. But in about two-thirds of the pre-pandemic months of Trump’s presidency, the rate was equal to or lower than 7%, often setting records that were eventually broken during Biden’s presidency.
Brazile told PolitiFact she had nothing to add. Priebus did not answer an inquiry for this article.
Our ruling
Brazile said that under Biden, “Black unemployment is the lowest in American history.”
The all-time low for Black unemployment was set less than a year ago under Joe Biden. Since that record was set, Black unemployment has risen half a percentage point.
We rate the statement Mostly True.
Our Sources
Donna Brazile and Reince Priebus, remarks on ABC "This Week," Jan. 4, 2024
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Unemployment rate, Black or African American, accessed Jan. 5, 2024
Email interview with Donna Brazile, Democratic strategist and ABC "This Week" roundtable panelist, Jan. 5, 2024
