Black Democrats in South Carolina give Trump credit for economy but stop short of support
While some black voters in South Carolina give President Trump credit for boosting their incomes, that may not be enough for them to abandon the Democratic Party. At the start of Trump’s fourth year in office, some 68 percent of African-American voters nationwide still disapprove of his handling of the economy, according to a recent Fox News poll. And even those who feel they have benefited are unlikely to support either Trump or Republicans, Todd Shaw, associate professor of political science and African American studies at the University of South Carolina, told FOX Business. “Black voters will do one of two things: vote for the Democratic candidate or not vote,” he said.
THE TRUMP ECONOMY, THREE YEARS IN: WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY Outside a church in Columbia, South Carolina, churchgoers echoed Shaw’s assessment as the state’s primary elections on Saturday draw nearer. “The job situation, I think, has gotten a little bit better, but it can be improved,” Hazel Scott Rose told FOX Business. Vanessa Pryor said she credits Trump for a stronger economy but still doesn’t back his re-election bid. “I’m no favorite friend of his,” she told FOX Business. “I'm a Democrat – I'll tell you straight up. But, economically, the country to me is in good shape.”
KUDLOW: TRUMP ADMIN 'ECLIPSING' OBAMA IN 'ALMOST EVERY AREA' African American unemployment dropped to the lowest level six months before the South Carolina Democratic primary. Black business owners are feeling the impact of a booming economy. Stephen Gilchrist, chairman of the African American Chamber of Commerce, said economic growth has benefitted the black community. “The president’s policies have certainly been designed in a way I think that has been helpful to at least beginning to give African Americans an opportunity to sit at the table,” Gilchrist told FOX Business.
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE On average, African American workers are bringing in more hourly income under President Trump than they were under former President Barack Obama. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says median hourly earnings for wage and salary workers paid at hourly rates have jumped 13.6 percent between 2017 and 2019. Black employees are making $14.66 dollars an hour on average today. But 2020 Democrats are painting a different picture on the campaign trail for black voters. Sen. Elizabeth Warren told reporters in New Hampshire that “we have a huge black and white wealth gap in America.” Sen. Bernie Sanders, speaking in Colorado, said Trump’s economy is just benefiting him: “Trump tells us the economy is booming. Well, it is for his wealthy friends.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS Democratic strategist Clay Middleton says the economy is typically a top issue for black voters in South Carolina, however, that’s changed in 2020. Now, the bigger question is how Democrats beat Trump, he said.
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