‘This country needs a leader’

Bryce Luchterhand

Unity

Editor:

Believe it or not, President Trump is going to focus on the economy as the stellar achievement of his presidency. He gave a speech in Warren, Mich., on Jan. 30, 2020, just before the economy collapsed. He bragged, “No administration has done what we’ve done in the first three years of an administration.” It was typical Trump bluster and it was not true.

The U.S. gained 6.6 million jobs during Trump’s first 36 months in office. Lyndon Johnson added 7.8 million jobs when the nation’s labor force was less than half of what it is today. Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton both added more jobs during their first 36 months in office.

Trump went on to say, “We are producing jobs in this country like you have never seen.” Another lie. The 6.6 million jobs produced under Trump were actually less than the previous 36 months under Obama when 8.1 million jobs were created. Trump inherited vigorous job growth that actually slowed under his administration. COVID-19 stopped all job growth and, due in large part to Trump’s mismanagement and failed leadership, America’s economy collapsed. It remains in desperate straits today. Fifty million people have lost their jobs, 30 million claim unemployment benefits, millions of families are looking for food and millions more are being evicted from their homes.

It is easy to understand why Trump does not accept responsibility for the condition this country is in, but what has he achieved? He cannot point to a plan for the nation to recover because he has no plan. He has no plan to defeat COVID-19 and no plan for economic recovery, much less a plan to sustain Social Security, to provide affordable health care, provide affordable education, or to fix a failing infrastructure.

Trump has no plan and the country is suffering for it. This country needs a leader.