MSNBC Bursts Into Laughter After Trump Supporter Credits Tax Bill For Black Unemployment Drop

Former congressman and current Donald Trump supporter Nan Hayworth claimed that the GOP tax bill – enacted just weeks ago – has driven the African American unemployment rate to a record low.

The MSNBC panel, including Chris Matthews, instantly burst into laughter over Hayworth’s laughable claim.

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The exchange between Hayworth and Matthews:

HAYWORTH: Thank god. African American unemployment is at record lows. And that would not have happened had the president not passed the tax — signed into law the tax cuts and jobs act. And —

 

MATTHEWS: Are you saying in a couple of weeks, it has cut the unemployment rate among African Americans in two weeks?

Hayworth’s comments come after Trump directed a tweet toward Jay-Z on Sunday claiming that black unemployment is at the “lowest rate ever recorded” directly as a result of his policies.

Of course, the claim that Trump somehow did anything to shrink the African American jobless rate is ludicrous. It’s not as if the unemployment number was rising and Trump’s presidency turned it around.

Instead, black unemployment – and unemployment overall – has been falling substantially since 2010, when former President Barack Obama’s economic policies started to kick in following the Great Recession.

This chart tweeted out by former GOP congressman and current MSNBC host Joe Scarborough shows the clear trend that began well before Trump was president or even a credible political figure:

Trump has been president for just over a year. Over that span, despite having complete party control of Congress, he is one of the least accomplished presidents in modern history. The one major piece of legislation he did manage to ram through Congress – the tax cut for the rich – came just last month.

So, no, the roaring stock market, the low unemployment and the overall strength of the American economy was not the result of Trump’s economic policies. How could it when he hasn’t successfully implemented one?

Sean Colarossi

Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.