Photo courtesy of stockadobe.com

By David L. Snelling

MIAMI – President Donald Trump’s actions since his return to the White House have had an impact on the Black population, as more African-Americans are facing major challenges including unemployment, affordability crisis and struggling small businesses due to massive federal funding cuts.

Despite the unemployment rate, 4.3 percent, at its lowest in over four decades, Black unemployment is on the rise with 7.1 percent as of March 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau Labor Statistics and the Federal Reserve’s FRED database.

The 7.1 percent is slightly higher than the 7.7 percent for February 2026, and the overall U.S. unemployment for all races was 4.6 percent.

But the Black unemployment rate steadily increases and could be on pace to reach the all-time record of 21.2 percent in 1983, according to economic experts suggesting the U.S. economy is still declining.

Most Blacks lost their jobs during Trump’s second term after he cut over 69,000 federal workers, and his Diversity, Equity Inclusion (DEI) elimination policy slowed down their efforts to land jobs in colleges and universities, governments and private companies that rely on federal funding.

Trump threatened to cut off funding if businesses didn’t comply with his DEI policy.

A majority of Blacks’ positions, particularly women, were tied to DEI including administrative duties, human resources and training departments, according to Feminist Majority Foundation, a national non-profit designed to advance women’s equality and education.
“Rising unemployment among women is a serious economic and social issue,” the organization said in a statement.

Trump gathered small business owners at the White House this week to kick off Small Business Week and tout what he said were his administration’s actions to bolster success for industries.

He bragged about his administration’s historic cuts to the federal government workforce, but drove Blacks to unemployment, given many of the jobs scrapped were held by Black workers related to DEI.

For decades, the federal government served as a major vehicle that expanded the Black middle class.
“We terminated a lot of federal jobs that are unnecessary, and they don’t like me for doing it,” Trump said at the Small Business Week event. “But a year later, they like me because they end up having a much better job.”

Despite Trump’s claims, reports reveal many federal workers laid off or pressured to accept buyouts by the administration struggle to find comparable work or any work at all.

The affordability crisis has also taken its toll on Blacks.

With a surge in gas, food, home prices and other cost of living means, more African Americans are struggling to make ends meet than any other races.

Minority households are more likely to be cost-burdened, spending more than 30 percent of their income on mortgage, rent, property taxes and homeowners insurance, according to Zillow.

Blacks constitute 21 percent compared to 12 percent for white households and 17 percent for Hispanics.

Blacks also faced a higher rate for home foreclosures nationwide in 2025.

Roughly 367,460 homes in the U.S. were foreclosed last year with 32.2 percent of Blacks who lost their homes, according to Realtor.com.

Florida leads the nations in foreclosures at 44.5 percent, as homeowners face heightened affordability pressures from rising insurance premiums, property taxes and overall ownership costs.
“Growing home supply has softened demand in parts of the state, contributing to slower price growth and longer time on market,” said Hannah Jones, Realtor.com senior economic research analyst. “Together, these dynamics increase the risk of foreclosure for some homeowners, particularly those who bought near the peak of the market or are carrying higher monthly costs.”

Trump cut billions of dollars of federal funding for mortgage relief and foreclosure assistance programs designed to help struggling homeowners.

The Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act, once provided an estimated $9.961 billion to support homeowners facing financial hardship after the COVID-19 pandemic.

As for Black business owners, they said they have been excluded from the Trump administration’s claim of a record lending program in contrast to seeing their business lending double during Biden’s term.

Trump’s Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler dismissed their claims, saying Black businesses are still receiving loans that are not tied to DEI.

The Trump administration terminated DEI programs for minority businesses to diversify the Small Business Administration’s reach and services for Black-owned businesses.

Trump also terminated the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), which was established to close racial gaps in access to capital for businesses owned by Black and other disadvantaged operators.

Trump’s DEI restrictions have put Black-owned businesses on the brink of closure with no or less federal funding to help their companies stay afloat.

Tamara Fowler, owner of Wiggle Giggle, an indoor playground business in Atlanta and Jacksonville, had a $3 million federal grant to bolster her company cut by the Trump administration.

Fowler, 31, said she was in the planning stages for expanding in Florida when the grant was rescinded, leaving her business’ future uncertain.
“I was incredibly disappointed and disheartened,” Fowler said. “This program has brought a lot of funding and a lot of information to people, and it’s free. It’s not just for people of color. It’s for all people that are in any sort of disadvantaged situation.”