Vice President Kamala Harris falsely claimed that former President Donald Trump left the U.S. with the highest unemployment since the Great Depression, despite data showing otherwise.
Key Details:
During the recent presidential debate, Vice President Kamala Harris accused former President Donald Trump of leaving the nation with "the worst unemployment since the Great Depression." This claim does not hold up against the facts. When Trump left office in January 2021, the unemployment rate was 6.4%—a figure that, while elevated due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was far from the worst since the Great Depression.
In reality, the highest unemployment rate since the Great Depression was 10.0% in 2009 during President Barack Obama's administration. The pandemic-related spike to 14.8% in April 2020 was a result of widespread shutdowns and economic disruptions caused by COVID-19, not long-term economic policy failures. Many of those restrictions were imposed by state-level authorities, and some were maintained longer in states with Democratic leadership.
Moreover, the recession caused by the pandemic was the shortest in U.S. history, lasting only two months. The quick recovery that followed can be partly attributed to Trump’s emergency economic measures, including substantial federal stimulus packages and other relief efforts designed to sustain businesses and workers during the pandemic.
When Harris and President Joe Biden took office, the economy was already on a recovery path. However, their subsequent policies, including massive spending under the American Rescue Plan, have been linked to rising inflation, which has affected the cost of living for many Americans.
Harris’s debate claim appears to misrepresent the state of the economy at the time of the presidential transition, overlooking the context of pandemic-related unemployment and the rapid recovery facilitated by Trump's policies.
Key Details:
- In the January 2021 unemployment rate was 6.4%, not close to the levels seen during the Great Depression.
- The highest post-Great Depression unemployment rate of 10.0% occurred under President Barack Obama in the early 2010s.
- The coronavirus-related spike in unemployment in 2020 was temporary and followed by a swift recovery attributed to Trump's economic policies.
During the recent presidential debate, Vice President Kamala Harris accused former President Donald Trump of leaving the nation with "the worst unemployment since the Great Depression." This claim does not hold up against the facts. When Trump left office in January 2021, the unemployment rate was 6.4%—a figure that, while elevated due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was far from the worst since the Great Depression.
In reality, the highest unemployment rate since the Great Depression was 10.0% in 2009 during President Barack Obama's administration. The pandemic-related spike to 14.8% in April 2020 was a result of widespread shutdowns and economic disruptions caused by COVID-19, not long-term economic policy failures. Many of those restrictions were imposed by state-level authorities, and some were maintained longer in states with Democratic leadership.
Moreover, the recession caused by the pandemic was the shortest in U.S. history, lasting only two months. The quick recovery that followed can be partly attributed to Trump’s emergency economic measures, including substantial federal stimulus packages and other relief efforts designed to sustain businesses and workers during the pandemic.
When Harris and President Joe Biden took office, the economy was already on a recovery path. However, their subsequent policies, including massive spending under the American Rescue Plan, have been linked to rising inflation, which has affected the cost of living for many Americans.
Harris’s debate claim appears to misrepresent the state of the economy at the time of the presidential transition, overlooking the context of pandemic-related unemployment and the rapid recovery facilitated by Trump's policies.
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