The State of The Union address (2018) by Trump was dotted with rhetoric and various dubious facts. Congress was the chosen venue for the speech. His major attention was on the economy, and particularly on wages and employment, arguing that after his election into office, he had created more than 1.8 million jobs. Since the global financial crisis of 2007-2009, the U.S. has witnessed a strengthening of its economy and this has come along with a reduction in its unemployment rates. Nevertheless, this has been disputed by critics who claim that the president is good at inflating statistical figures so that they may be to his favor. The audience of the speech was not only the Congress but also all the American citizens.
Thesis: In the past two years, the U.S. economy has been on the upward trajectory and President Trump has been quick to take credit for that.
Body
In his State of the Union address, Trump claimed that his administration had created more than 2.4 million jobs, including an estimated 200,000 manufacturing jobs signifying a major achievement. According to him, his administration’s determination and dedication and ability to stick to what he had promised during the campaigns played a critical role in the surges witnessed in the country’s employment rates (Kelly, Glenn and Salvador Web). Nevertheless, critics were quick to point out that the figures had been fabricated with the aim of massaging the president’s ego and portraying an administration that was on the right path regarding delivering its agendas. Based on the findings of Bureau of Labor Statistics, it is evident that only estimated 1.8 million jobs were created since January 2017, out of which 184,000 were manufacturing.
Wages was another area of the economy that he addressed. According to Trump, after years of stagnation in the country’s wages, they were on the rise and more specifically after his administration took charge. He further stated that measures were in place to ensure that employers enhanced the satisfaction levels of the employees through better pay. On a bigger picture, however, he took credit for something that was already in place even before he assumed office. The period from 2013 to 2015, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, witnessed a significant growth in wages. However, the drop in the wage rates started in 2016 all the way to 2017, thus rubbishing Trump’s claims (Kelly, Glenn and Salvador Web). The figures imply that wage rate was on the increase during Obama’s administration and therefore, Trump cannot take credit for the achievement.
The poverty index among the African Americans has over the years been on the rise. In his address, Trump stated that African Americans unemployment rates currently stands at its lowest and that a similar case has been witnessed among the Hispanics. In the past decade, the unemployment rates among the African Americans have been on the decline since its peak of 16.8% during the Great Recession in 2009 (The Telegraph Web). When he took his oath of office, it had dropped to 7.7%. Currently, unemployment rates among the black community stand at 6.8% and this was one of the reasons behind his excitement as he covered the topic. As for the Hispanics, their unemployment rates hit a low of 4.8% as at the year ending 2017.
He also got it right on the stock markets that have been on the rise in the past years. Trump, in his speech, claimed that the stock markets had smashed one record after the other and has currently gained $8 trillion in value. The Dow Jones Industrial Average currently stands at 24,190 and with the strengthening in the country’s GDP, it may continue increasing. More investors have since trickled into the country with the aim of channeling their investments, which is beneficial to the economy (Kelly, Glenn and Salvador Web). The S"P 500, according to the president will keep on gaining momentum into the future and the same applies to the Dow Jones.
Conclusion
The U.S. economy has been on the upward trajectory in the past two years. In as much as President Trump may take accolade for the gains, critics argue that decline in unemployment rates and the significant rise in wage rates were already in place during Obama’s administration and they are not a part of his achievements.
Work Cited
Kelly, Meg, Glenn Kessler, and Salvador Rizzo. "Analysis | Fact-Checking The 2018 State Of The Union Address." Washington Post. N.p., 2018. Web. 11 Feb. 2018.
The Telegraph. "Donald Trump's State Of The Union Speech 2018: Full Transcript." The Telegraph News. N.p., 2018. Web. 11 Feb. 2018.
