President Donald Trump's son, Don Jr., spoke to Fox Business as east coast polls were opening, claiming that if the country were to lockdown again it would destroy the lives of Americans for generations.
Hyperbole is frequent among the Trump family, but even his claim ignores the realities of what has happened under the coronavirus pandemic. According to reports this fall, the PPP program was successful as a temporary fix for a country thrust into chaos. In absence of lasting help, however, thousands of small businesses are closing their doors for good.
A New School economist said that he was concerned national statistics were failing to capture the “unprecedented loss of small businesses” that “we don’t see in a normal recession.”
The unemployment numbers are still low and, according to Joe Biden, it will make Trump the first president since Herbert Hoover to finish his term in office with fewer jobs created than when he entered office. Granted, the recession was made far worse by the COVID-19 pandemic, but critics explain that had Trump done more early on when he knew the pandemic was a problem, not only could lives have been saved, but the economy could have too.
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