After claiming that Black families were more unified under Jim Crow-era laws than they are today, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) then argued that President Joe Biden's policies have kneecapped Black Americans compared to when Donald Trump was in power.
"Where we are today — America is trying to have the economic policies and the public policies so that all people can thrive," he said during an appearance on CNN's NewsTonight with Abby Philip. "And if you're actually going to compare economic policies and public policies between the 45th president and 46 president, it's without question, they were better under the 45th."
At this point, Philip cut in.
"I'm going to interrupt you on the facts, Congressmen," she told him. "The black unemployment rate was the lowest in American history under Joe Biden.... The poverty rate for Black people is the lowest under Joe Biden's [administration]. So you cannot say empirically for Black people that from a financial level things were better under Trump."
Donalds attempted to clarify.
"The economic reality is, is that even though unemployment might be lower, wages adjusted for inflation — which is the true measure of getting ahead — that has been bad under Joe Biden."
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He added: "It was significantly better under Donald Trump because we did not have massive inflation and people were making more money, which means you're taking more money home, which means you can begin to prepare for your family which means you can start to prepare and begin thinking about ideas of getting assets accumulated, assets, and generating wealth."
Earlier this week, the Florida Republican made waves by claiming that Black families had a stronger sense of unity under Jim Crow laws that segregated them from white Americans.
“You see, during Jim Crow, the Black family was together. During Jim Crow, more Black people were not just conservative — Black people have always been conservative-minded — but more Black people voted conservatively,” Donalds said, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
