Black unemployment spikes after Trump touts record-low level in fight with Jay-Z, State of the Union speech
- The unemployment rate for black Americans jumped to 7.7% in January, up from 6.8% in December, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- The increase came after Trump repeatedly touted the record-low rate in tweets and his State of the Union address.
- The black unemployment rate is still down significantly from a high of 16.8% in March 2010, but also remains well above the unemployment rate for white Americans.
The unemployment rate for black Americans jumped in the month of January, the same month President Donald Trump leaned on the figure as proof of the positive effects of his economic agenda.
In the January jobs report, released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the black unemployment rate increased to 7.7% from 6.8% in December. The rate in December was the lowest since the BLS began tracking black unemployment in 1972.
The increase was also the largest jump for the black unemployment rate since June 2012.
It came during a month in which Trump leaned heavily on the record low to argue that his economic policies were benefitting black Americans.
For instance, Trump tweeted about the record-low rate after criticism from rapper and businessman Jay-Z.
"Somebody please inform Jay-Z that because of my policies, Black Unemployment has just been reported to be at the LOWEST RATE EVER RECORDED!" Trump tweeted on January 28.
The night before the tweet, CNN aired a special interview with Jay-Z in which he said Trump's slur toward African countries showed the president was "looking down on a whole population of people." The musician and business mogul also addressed Trump's touting of the record-low rate.
"It's not about money at the end of the day," the rapper said. "Money doesn't equate to happiness. It doesn't. That's missing the whole point. You treat people like human beings. That's the main point."
Trump also tweeted about the record low on January 19 - and he mentioned it during his first State of the Union address on Tuesday.
While the jump is notable, demographic unemployment rates can be subject to volatility since they are based on survey data. But the unemployment rate matches the highest level on a month-to-month basis since April 2017.
The unemployment rate for black Americans remains in a long-term cyclical decline - down from a peak of 16.8% in March 2010.
It also remains higher than the unemployment rate for white Americans, which declined to 3.5% in January from 3.7% the month before. Black unemployment has never been equal to or lower than white unemployment in any month since the BLS began tracking it.
