top of page

How Trump Has Hurt
the Working Class

Blue Collar Worker

​​​​​Some major actions taken by the Trump administration negatively impacted working-class and lower-income Americans:

​

  1. Tax cuts that primarily benefited the wealthy: Trump's tax cuts disproportionately favored high-income earners and corporations, leading to record deficits without providing significant relief to lower-income Americans.

  2. Weakened overtime pay eligibility: The Trump administration changed rules that left millions of workers ineligible for extra pay, reducing their earning potential.

  3. Reduced funding for food support programs: Cutbacks to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) made it harder for low-income Americans to access food aid.

  4. Delayed COVID-19 travel restrictions from Europe: This delay allowed the pandemic to spread further, particularly affecting working-class communities and essential workers.

  5. Undermined worker safety during the pandemic: The administration failed to implement emergency safety standards, leaving workers vulnerable to unpredictable safety conditions.

  6. Restricted relief for defrauded students: Trump's policies made it harder for students who had been defrauded by educational institutions to seek loan forgiveness.

  7. Pursued immigration policies that hurt all workers: Actions like ending DACA forced many immigrant workers into the shadow labor market, making them more vulnerable to exploitation and potentially lowering wages for all workers.

  8. Appointed anti-worker leaders to key positions: Trump nominated individuals with records of exploiting workers to important posts in the Department of Labor and National Labor Relations Board.

  9. Relaxed regulations on methane emissions: This move potentially increased health risks for communities near oil and gas facilities, often lower-income areas.

  10. Vetoed coronavirus relief: Trump's initial refusal to sign a relief package left millions of Americans in financial limbo during a critical period of the pandemic.

 

These actions collectively suggest that many of Trump's policies and decisions tended to favor corporate interests and wealthier Americans at the expense of working-class and lower-income individuals.​​

bottom of page