The White House is on damage control after President Donald Trump went on a Twitter word war with rapper Jay-Z this weekend.
Unemployment Rate
Following the rapper's appearance on CNN and the president's subsequent retort, the White House has released its own statement regarding the issue. Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters shortly after the exchange that the employment rate of the African-American community has never been better.
The president has been bragging about the record-low unemployment rate of African-Americans. As of December, the unemployment rate was down to 6.8 percent of the population. He also claims that his own economic policies have been effective.
"Look, I think you can see from the steps that we've already taken that we're trying to fix unemployment for all Americans," Sanders said. "That's the point that the president has made time and time again, is that he wants it to be better for everybody."
On a previous tweet, the president also bragged about the Hispanic unemployment rate which is down a full point last year. A feat he said he achieved only a year in the office.
African American unemployment is the lowest ever recorded in our country. The Hispanic unemployment rate dropped a full point in the last year and is close to the lowest in recorded history. Dems did nothing for you but get your vote! #NeverForget @foxandfriends
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018
However, many argue that Trump can hardly take credit for the decline of the unemployment rate. Apparently, the continuous downward slope of the unemployment rate for African-Americans has been ongoing since 2011 when the job market suffered following the Great Recession.
Moreover, even with a declining unemployment number, CNN pointed out that African-Americans are still earning a lot less than their peers. White Americans earn a median salary of $887 last fall whereas African-Americans take home about $696.
In Defense
CNN host Van Jones defended Jay-Z against the tirades of Trump. The television personality whose sit-down interview with the rapper merited a response from the president advised everyone to watch the interview.
"Someone needs to inform [Trump] that I ALREADY asked Jay-Z whether black employment figures redeem Trump's presidency," he tweeted. "And Jay's answer last night on the [Van Jones Show] was POWERFUL!!! Watch the VIDEO for yourself."
During the interview, the Grammy-winning rapper argued that the decrease in the unemployment rate does not make the president's actions okay. At the end of the day, Jay-Z said, money is not everything.
"Money doesn't equate to happiness. It doesn't. That's missing the whole point," the "Family Feud" rapper said. "You treat people like human beings. That's the main point. You can't treat someone like.., it's going back to the whole thing! You treat me really bad and pay me well."
https://t.co/7Sv3rHKkmW https://t.co/jbHpkKOM5o
— Van Jones (@VanJones68) January 28, 2018
