On Tuesday, Donald Trump walked into a room and started talking. Over the course of 107 minutes, as expected; threw out clear lies, tossed out cheap insults, and worst of all for his ego, he bored multiple members of the audience to sleep. The whole thing should have been a post on Truth Social, but no, it was his State of the Union address.
It’s easy to dismiss the speech as a desperate president trying to stay relevant. But the contrast between what Trump said and the reality for my neighbors in my North Philly district and Black Americans everywhere couldn’t be more serious.
Trump spent the first part of his speech talking about the economy, yet he conveniently left out that Black Americans are working harder than ever and falling further and further behind. Under Trump, Black unemployment rose to its highest in nearly five years. Black women in particular are being targeted by Trump’s layoffs, with unemployment rates increasing almost a full percentage point since he took office. Real wages actually decreased for Black workers last year, and last year, the rate of Black home ownership reached its lowest level since 2021. That’s nothing to brag about.
Trump claimed that it’s a “Golden Age” for America. But again that’s a provable lie. Black Americans aren’t in “good shape” as he once promised on the campaign trail — they’re drowning under Trump’s out-of-touch, billionaire-only agenda. Our communities are struggling to stay afloat, and Trump just made clear to us there’s no relief in sight.
Glaringly, Trump spent just five minutes talking about health care during the State of the Union. Let that sink in — five minutes out of nearly two hours. Despite the fact that millions of Americans are struggling to afford health care because of the crisis he created. The big BS budget bill that Republicans passed last year cut Medicaid by nearly $1 trillion. Who pays the price? The Black Americans who make up one in five Medicaid enrollees who are now at risk of losing their care.
But it’s not just that Trump and Republicans are cutting essential programs like Medicaid and SNAP. It’s also that they’ve taken a hammer to Obamacare, refusing to extend expiring tax credits that folks desperately need. Without these credits, Black families in the Philly metro area alone could be on track to pay $105 million more per year in premiums. Donald Trump should have the guts to look these families in the eye and tell them they need to pay more for lifesaving care because Mar-A-Lago members need even more tax breaks.
The bottom line is that Black voters are fed up with Trump’s economic incompetence and his staggering corruption. Only 8% of Black Americans approve of Trump, and more than half of Black Americans say groceries are unaffordable. A word Trump only learned last year.
That said, as Democrats, we can’t play dead while Trump and Republicans to keep breaking things and hope for the best. We have to show our neighbors that we have guts and a bold plan to fix the mess that they created.
That split screen couldn’t have been clearer on Tuesday: While Trump went on and on about how great everything is, Democrats won three special elections, one in Maine and two in my home state of Pennsylvania. By getting out there and fighting for what American can and must be.
That’s been our party’s motto ever since Trump took office. First, win elections to build political power, and then use that power to make life better. All across the country, Democrats are doing everything we can to ensure that Black working families emerge from this crisis stronger than ever before. Jobs that pay, healthcare you can afford, and the right to cast your vote without fear. That’s what’s at stake.
Our candidates and our elected leaders aren’t just talking about good jobs and better wages, we’re actually fighting to deliver a stable economy that Black Americans deserve — one that doesn’t leave them worrying about where their next paycheck will come from or how they’ll afford next month’s rent.
Democrats are fighting for quality, affordable health care, working to extend the Obamacare tax credits, bring down costs, and make sure that no Black family has to choose between their wallets and their health.
And critically, Democrats are fighting to defend Black voters from Trump’s attack on voting rights. Across the country, Republicans are trying to redraw electoral maps and disenfranchise voters of color because they’re scared to lose the November midterm elections.
From the courts to the ballot box, Democrats are fighting fire with fire to uphold the sacred right to vote that civil rights leaders — from Dr. King to Rev. Jesse Jackson — fought to protect.
Up and down the ballot, Black voters are putting their faith in Democratic candidates who will take on Trump’s toxic agenda and deliver real results for their communities.
From now until Election Day, Democrats are all gas, no brakes, to win races and elect champions who will stand up for what’s right. And here’s our message to Trump and Republicans: we’re coming.
And no amount of boring, long-winded speeches will save you from what’s coming in November.
DNC Vice Chair and Representative Malcolm Kenyatta is a third-generation North Philadelphia native and legislator currently serving in the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Rep. Kenyatta is a barrier-breaking public figure, becoming the first openly LGBTQ+ person of color and one of the youngest people elected to the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 2018. In February 2025, he was elected as Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee.
