It's a Middle-Class Boom

Real Clear Politics ^ | October 15, 2019 | By Stephen Moore

[Hojczyk]

" [Donald] Trump's economy is great for billionaires, not for working people," Sanders likes to say. Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi grouses that under the Trump agenda, "the rich get richer, and everyone else is stuck paying the bill."

But not a word of this is true, according to new Census Bureau data on the incomes of America's middle class. This study by former Census Bureau researchers and now statisticians at Sentier Research has found gigantic income gains for the middle class under Trump. The median or average-income family has seen a gain of $5,003 since Trump came into office. Median family income is now (August 2019) $65,976, up from about $61,000 when he entered office (January 2017).

Under George W. Bush, the household income gains were a little over $400 in eight years, and under Barack Obama the gains were $1,043. That was in eight years for each. Under Trump, in less than three years, the extra income is about three times larger.

These gains under Trump are so large in such a short period of time that I asked the Sentier Research team to triple-check the numbers. Sure enough, on each occasion, the income swing was $5,000.

[eyeamok]

These gains under Trump are so large in such a short period of time that

We must Impeach before he completely destroys the Welfare State we created.

[irishjuggler]

This is the only campaign ad Trump needs. Put on the screen...

8 years of Bush: $400
8 years of Obama: $1,043
3 years of Trump: $5,003
Any questions?

[FLT-bird]

The Great Recession was so awful for me....the Great Depression couldn’t have been any worse. Three years ago I was making slightly less in actual dollar terms than I had made in 2006 - never mind inflation. In the last three years my income has gone up by a staggering 1/3rd. I have every reason to believe it will go up by another 5-10% next year. I’m far from alone. It’s a similar story for many of my colleagues in finance/banking.

When the Donkeys try to claim only “the rich” have benefited, I just laugh.....almost as much as when the media tried to tell me the Great Recession had ended in 2009. Uhhhh no. Not even close for YEARS after that.

[Vigilanteman]

The day Trump was elected, I was into my second month of unemployment, not a single serious interview and wondering what I was going to do for income when unemployment ran out.

The day Trump was sworn into office, I was in my fifth serious interview. Today, I can actually afford to retire, but I go to work because I actually enjoy it. A $7,000 annual raise, a spacious private office and a challenging and rewarding job has something to do with that.

Multiply my experience by tens of thousands of other members of the middle class and you get the idea.

[Gay State Conservative]

For later

[Citizen Soldier]

Liz Warren would put an end to that

[Buckeye McFrog]

Frustration over years and years of stagnating incomes is what drove the political forces which got Trump elected.

The country could have gone in one of two directions. Take the Trump approach of spurring growth in the economy while clamping down on immigration, “free trade”, etc. that tends to undercut wage growth.

Or the typical Democrat approach of “we’ll use government to SQUEEZE business so more of that trickles down to you”.

Had Trump not appeared on the scene I am quite confident we’d be going down road #2 by now.

[Windflier]

"The median or average-income family has seen a gain of $5,003 since Trump came into office."

Wish my family was seeing some of that. Our annual income has dropped by 50% since Trump was elected.