The U.S. jobless rate dropped to the lowest point in 50 years on Friday but Democrats could not have been more glum about it.
“Unfortunately, the evidence shows that most of the economic gains continue to benefit those already well-off,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said in a statement following a report that the U.S. added 263,000 jobs in April. “We must do more to ensure that the economy is benefiting every family in every community, and that all Americans have the opportunity to move ahead in our economy.”
Democrats are working to carefully navigate their messaging strategy, amid a string of consistently positive economic news, without bolstering President Trump or Republicans.
Friday’s report on job gains is just another in a series of indicators that show the economy under President Trump is booming. Republicans and the president credit policies they put in place to reduce government regulations and taxes. The party’s signature achievement, a comprehensive tax reform law, lowered taxes not only for individuals but small businesses and corporations.
The unemployment numbers are helping Trump’s base with big gains in blue-collar jobs such as construction as well as the voters Democrats are depending on: Hispanic unemployment dropped to a record-low 4.2%.
Trump’s approval rating when it comes to the economy climbed to 56%, according to a poll conducted by CNN.
“Trump’s economic message is based on results, not promises, and that makes it more effective than anything the Democrats can say,” pollster Ron Faucheux told the Washington Examiner.
But the numbers haven’t left all Democrats speechless.
Rather than remain silent after Friday’s positive economic news broke, which is a tactic sometimes employed by an opposing party, House Democrats quickly attacked the numbers and Trump’s policies.
While Pelosi conceded the gains are “promising,” she condemned the effort by the Trump administration to challenge legality of Obamacare in court, a move that could ultimately end the law’s protections for those with preexisting conditions.
“Republicans’ shameful special interest agenda continues to undermine the health and financial security of middle-class families across the country,” Pelosi said.
Pelosi called for a massive infrastructure spending plan that would address climate change.
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said the gains “don’t tell the whole story, as wages aren’t growing fast enough to allow millions of workers to keep pace and feel that real economic security is within reach.”
Hoyer pushed the Democratic line that the GOP tax cuts, which lowered taxes for 80% of earners, benefited mostly the rich.
“This month’s report is also another reminder that President Trump and congressional Republicans peddled false promises to the American people about the Republican tax scam, which cut taxes for the wealthy and provided a boon to corporate shareholders while leaving the middle class behind,” Hoyer said.
The large Democratic field of presidential candidates ignored the jobs report.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., retweeted a Children’s Defense Fund statistic claiming 13 million U.S. children live below the poverty line.
“This is a moral outrage. If we raise the minimum wage and invest in education and housing, we can end child poverty,” Sanders said.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., tweeted another call for Trump’s impeachment, Joe Biden tweeted about restoring voting rights for felons in Florida, former Rep. Beto O’Rourke tweeted about tackling climate change, and Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., tweeted about unaffordable healthcare and the need for Medicare for All.
“Democrats have been handling the economy by avoiding discussion of it and talking about anything but the economy,” Democratic strategist Mark Penn told the Examiner.
National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Michael McAdams said the ideas Democrats are proposing won’t resonate with voters who are enjoying the booming economy.
“With their socialist message of higher taxes and more government control, the 2020 election is setting up to be an electoral Armageddon for these radicals,” McAdams told the Examiner.
But Democrats are quick to point to polls showing that the economic gains are not resonating enough to help Trump in the polls.
A Monmouth University poll this week found just 12% of Americans felt they had benefited “a great deal” from economic gains, and a 31% say they have received “some benefit.”
Monmouth found voters were most concerned about healthcare, an issue Republicans and the president fumbled.
And the same CNN poll that showed Trump’s poll number rise on his handling of the economy showed his overall approval rating remains a tepid 43%.
“Democratic candidates should hope that Donald Trump and Republicans try to convince voters facing skyrocketing healthcare costs and stagnated real wages that the economy is wonderful,” Democratic strategist Zac Petkanas told the Examiner. “If all these economic indicators are a winning message, why is Trump one of the most unpopular presidents in modern history?”
