Introduction

Since returning to the White House, President Donald Trump has made bold claims about being a champion for Black Americans. His administration points to a list of accomplishments — but researchers, civil rights organizations, and community advocates are raising serious alarms about policies that are hitting Black communities the hardest. Here at Black Atlanteans, we dig into the facts so you can decide for yourself.

What the Administration Claims

The Trump administration asserts that its "America First" agenda drove record-low unemployment for Black Americans, with over 350,000 lifting themselves out of poverty through booming manufacturing and smarter trade policies.

The administration also highlights Opportunity Zones — a program they say attracted $75 billion in new private investment into economically distressed communities, creating $11 billion in new wealth for minority neighborhoods — and the First Step Act, a criminal justice reform law designed to reduce recidivism and provide second chances for incarcerated individuals.

On education, the administration points to the FUTURE Act, which secured a historic $255 million in annual funding for HBCUs, and the full forgiveness of $322 million in hurricane-related disaster relief loans to four HBCUs.

What the Data Actually Shows

Despite these claims, a very different picture is emerging for Black Americans in 2025 and 2026:

Jobs & The Economy

In the first months of 2025, stable career paths that had allowed Black families to enter the middle class — purchasing homes, sending children to college, and preparing for retirement — were eroded by haphazard cuts to the federal workforce. Black unemployment rose to 7.2 percent by July 2025, up from 6.3 percent the prior year.

Nearly 300,000 Black women left the labor force in the second quarter of 2025 alone, raising serious alarm.

In the two wealthiest Black counties in America — Prince George's and Charles County in Maryland — the pain from the federal employment purge is being acutely felt.

DEI & Civil Rights

The nearly year-long agenda has included the banning of DEI, the reversal of civil rights enforcement, and a redistricting campaign being legally challenged as a violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Since taking office, Trump has pushed an anti-equity agenda that rolls back hard-won federal policies. His administration has used false narratives to justify eliminating the use of disparate impact liability and redirecting enforcement priorities at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission — severely weakening the two agencies responsible for ensuring employers comply with anti-discrimination law.

Education & HBCUs

While college education remains one of the most important pathways to economic mobility for Black Americans, this avenue is now under threat due to rollbacks of DEI policies, unpredictable freezes of critical education funding, and increasing pressure on HBCUs. The administration is also targeting scholarships and programs for underrepresented students, and increasing student loan costs — which will disproportionately impact Black students.

Healthcare

The "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" makes historic cuts to health care and social programs that Black Americans disproportionately rely on — including roughly $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and Medicare and $120 billion from SNAP — to offset the cost of more than $4 trillion in tax cuts that experts say will overwhelmingly benefit wealthy Americans and corporations.

Criminal Justice

A presidential action directs the resumption of federal executions and expresses intention to overturn Supreme Court precedents limiting the use of capital punishment. This puts Black Americans at greater risk, given that the National Registry of Exonerations reported that innocent Black people are seven times more likely to be wrongfully convicted of murder than innocent white people.

Black History & Culture

Trump has pushed policies that work to hide the truth about Black America — attacking diversity programs, blocking real history, and targeting the places that share our stories. This marks the first time in 60 years where there are no intentional efforts to address racism in the federal government.

The Bottom Line

During his 2024 campaign, Trump made various overtures to Black Americans — including widely disproven claims about being the best president for Black Americans since Abraham Lincoln, and baseless fearmongering that immigrants were taking "Black jobs." His team suggested his policies would focus on tackling inflation and strengthening job security. However, more than halfway through the first year of his second term, his agenda poses a serious threat to the Black middle class.

According to research, Trump's policies are disproportionately hurting the Black middle class and threaten to widen the already persistent racial wealth gap in America.

At Black Atlanteans, we believe an informed community is an empowered community. Stay engaged, stay educated, and hold your elected officials accountable.

The Real Fix: Build, Own, and Control Our Own Systems

Knowledge is power — but ownership is freedom. The most powerful thing Black Atlanta can do right now is start a business. Own your supply chains. Build your platforms. Invest in your communities. Hire your people. Create generational wealth that no executive order can touch.

When we own our own systems — our own media, our own banks, our own technology, our own food, our own schools — we stop waiting on politicians to save us and start saving ourselves. That is how we fix the whole thing.

Ready to start? Black Atlanteans is here to support Black-owned businesses across Atlanta and beyond. Whether you're launching your first venture or scaling an existing one, the time to build is now. Our community is our greatest asset — and together, we are unstoppable.