President Trump’s strategy to win the support of more black voters in November is under threat due to fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.
A CNN poll conducted from May 7-10 details Trump’s struggles with black voters, among whom 54% know someone who has tested positive for the coronavirus, more than white (38%) or Latino (36%) adults.
Nearly 4 out of 5 black respondents, 79%, said the federal government had responded poorly to the pandemic. Fifty-five percent of Latinos and 50% of white adults agreed.
The poll interviewed 1,112 adults chosen across a random national sample, with a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.
Trump touted as recently as February 27, the record-low unemployment numbers for black Americans during a Cabinet Room meeting with high-profile black supporters.
“Black people right now are having the best, statistically, the best numbers that you’ve ever had, and it’s really an honor,” Trump said. “Nobody has done more for black people than I have. Nobody has done more.”
The national unemployment rate has risen dramatically since then, surging to 14.7% in April, up from 3.5% in February, a 50-year low.
In February, the black unemployment rate was at 5.8%.
Because of the virus outbreak and stay-at-home orders, service sector jobs, including at nursing and healthcare facilities, which employ black people and minorities in disproportionate numbers, have been among the hardest hit.
The White House issued a statement Wednesday detailing measures that it said were underway to help underserved communities disproportionately harmed by the virus.
The memo details targeted support to minority businesses under the Paycheck Protection Program, a $1 billion allocation for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other minority-serving institutions, and $3.5 billion for child care for low-income families and front-line workers.
“My administration is pursuing a comprehensive strategy to address the full spectrum of needs in these communities, supporting both health and economic revitalization,” a statement from the president reads.
