Robert Johnson, the founder of BET and the nation’s first Black billionaire, gave Trump supporters something to crow about after he incorrectly credited the president for improving the job outlook for African-Americans.
“When you look at African-American unemployment, in over 50 years since the Bureau of Labor Statistics has been keeping the numbers, you’ve never had two things: African-American unemployment this low and the spread between unemployment among whites and African-Americans narrowing,” Johnson said Friday on CNBC’s Squawk Box.
That comment pleased President Donald Trump and warmed the hearts of right-wing conservative media. Outlets like Breitbart joyfully shared the Johnson’s remarks.
The BET founder, however, failed to note that the Black unemployment rate had declined steadily during President Barack Obama’s presidency. Indeed, economists have credited Obama’s financial recovery initiative from the historic recession for the declining unemployment.
In 2010 during the recession, the Black unemployment rate hit 16.8 percent, but it has continued to decrease falling to 7.8 percent when Trump took office. Johnson cited the December jobs report showing that unemployment among Black workers was at its lowest since the Labor Department began tracking the data in 1972. It fell to 6.9 percent, but it remains nearly double the white unemployment rate of 3.6 percent.
Johnson met with Trump in the weeks after the 2016 election when he was parading high-profile individuals under consideration for cabinet posts in front the media at his golf club in New Jersey. After that meeting, he urged African Americans to have an open mind about Trump.
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BET Founder Bob Johnson Falsely Credits The President For Lowering Black Unemployment was originally published on newsone.com
Thank you President Trump for the opportunity for our people to better themselves. The haters will always be there, ignore them and keep rebuilding our country and hopes from the devastation of the previous 8 years
Bob is another one I look at side eye.
Those who cannot think for themselves, will forever be slaves on the Democratic Plantation
if you guys notice, all the RICH black men support trump because they want to be like him. Shaq, mjordan, sharvey, bjohnson, cbarkley, fmayweather, jbrown, and the guy who swore he would never take a knee but took two knees and said he was praying. They all have similar character flaws and personality traits, liars, cheaters, love white women, etc…
If Bob Johnson loves white women he didn’t marry them, both his wives 1st and 2nd are black.
That particular trait does not apply to him or sharvey, but perhaps the others do.
Bob needs to be educated instead of being ignorant or blind by is his wealth.
It piss me off to see blks trying to give this fool credit for anything positive concerning the blk community. He’s a white supremist.
Johnson is nothing but an UNCLE TOM!!!!!!!!!!!
Skinnin and grinning with dumb Chump!!!!!!!!!!!
As the article stated, the unemployment numbers started to drop under the Obama administration…..45 is riding on Obama’s coat tail……