Georgia Democrats Statement On Trump’s Broken Promises for People Of Color

This morning, as Joe Biden rolls out his agenda for racial equity, Democratic Party of Georgia Chairwoman Nikema Williams released the following statement: 

“At every level, Donald Trump’s failed leadership has made life harder for Black Americans and people of color. While Trump used his economic policies to enrich big banks and corporate cronies, Black and brown Georgians were left out, and our racial wealth gap has grown. Now, as the coronavirus pandemic devastates vulnerable communities across our state, his response has made this crisis only worse. To close the racial wealth gap, we need a real leader who will fight for every family’s future like it is their own — that’s Joe Biden.”

BACKGROUND ON TRUMP’S FAILED RECORD FOR PEOPLE OF COLOR

Trump bragged that he had “done more for the Black community than any president since Abraham Lincoln,” but his economic policies disproportionately left out people of color. 

• Under Trump’s tax law, the average tax cut received by Black and Latinx households was less than half of the average white household.
• Trump marked his opportunity zone program as a way to serve underserved communities, but instead the benefits went to wealthy investors and real estate developers, including Trump’s own family members and advisors  [New York Times, 8/31/19].  

Trump’s failed response to the coronavirus pandemic made the fallout worse, particularly for communities of color who are more impacted by COVID-19.

• African American and Latinx residents have been three times as likely to contract COVID-19 as white residents, and twice as likely to die. At one point of the pandemic, 80% of Georgia’s hospitalized coronavirus patients were Black. 
• African American and Latinx workers and business owners have suffered disproportionately from the economic fallout from coronavirus — in June, unemployment for Black workers was 15.4%, and unemployment for Latino workers was 14.5%. [New York Times, 7/2/20]

Trump promised to “fix our schools,” ease the burden of student loan debt, and help Latinx and African American youth, but he and Betsy DeVos have undermined efforts to reduce racial disparities in education. 

• Trump’s FY21 budget would make borrowers pay more of their discretionary income towards loan repayment, while African American students owe more money in student loan debt than any other group. [New York Times, 2/10/20] 

Trump and Betsy DeVos rolled back Obama-era guidance on school discipline that was designed to protect Black students from racial bias in school discipline.  [Washington Post, 12/21/18]

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