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Trump Says He ‘Inherited A Mess’ From Obama: Was He Right?

By Tito Ojo-Medubi
Published on: 00:53 PST, Feb 17, 2017

President Trump got several things wrong at his press conference Thursday, including claims that he “inherited a mess” from Obama.

In an 80-minute interview the President painted a gloomy picture of America caving under drug abuse, massive job losses, crime in inner cities and a depressing economy, according to ABC News. The 70-year-old said he was saddled with fixing the country because his predecessor had left the country in sordid shape.

“It’s a mess. At home and abroad. A mess. Jobs are pouring out of the country. You see what’s going on with all of the companies leaving our country. Going to Mexico and other places. Low pay. Low wages…I inherited a mess at home…Democrats screwed things up royally.”

The president promised to take care of the mess without providing further details on how he would accomplish it.

“We’ll take care of it folks. We’re going to take care of it all. I just wanted to let you know. I inherited a mess.”

However, many experts do not agree with Trump’s nightmarish contrasts and they have economic data to back it all up. In January 2009, when Obama assumed office the unemployment rate was 7.8 percent. In January 2016, the unemployment rate in America was 4.8 percent. On his campaign trail, Trump described the official unemployment numbers in America as a hoax, telling his supporters not to believe the fake numbers.

“Don’t believe these phony employment numbers. The number is probably 28, 29, as high as 35 percent. In fact, I even heard recently 42 percent.”

The U.S. stock market remains at an all-time high. Despite the growth of the gross domestic product not living up to historical standards, the economy is in the 10th year of one of the most sustained expansions in American history. Moreover, the job market is creating jobs faster than employers of labor can fill, evidence that it is the strongest that it has ever been in over ten years.

Economic experts say Mr. Trump continues to preach doom and gloom about the job market and it resonates with his supporters that there simply not enough jobs. But these experts argue that the American market does not have a job scarcity problem, but instead suffers from a lack of skills from the market.

This was a bone of contention that sharply divided Americans during the November elections. Economists argue that workers who fall short of obtaining college degrees are the ones crumbling under the weight of unemployment and not those who are better-educated. According to Jim O’ Sullivan, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics, the high demand for skilled workers has spurred a wage increase.

“The trend in employment growth remains more than strong enough to keep the unemployment rate trending down and adding to upward pressure on wage gains.”

According to BLS data, since 2000 more than 17 million jobs created have gone to candidates with at least a bachelor’s degree. Those with college degrees have only filled five million new jobs, while those with a high school diploma or less compete for four million jobs.

Observers say judging by how Mr. Trump puts it Americans would think the economy was in the worst shape ever since the Great Depression. The Great Depression was the worst economic downturn in U.S. history which occurred in the 1930’s. Many American households never recovered from the financial crash.

Trump’s bleak description of the economy is reminiscent of his Inaugural address where he talked about “American carnage.” Pundits believe Trump’s “I inherited a mess” excuse is a low bar that he has set for his administration so that he would not be blamed for not fulfilling campaign promises.

President Trump is not the first president to blame a predecessor for the woes of the country.

In 2009, President Obama complained about the job losses that welcomed him after he took over from President Bush. On the other hand, the Republican president inherited a recessive economy from Clinton in 2001 after the Internet explosion.

Did Obama leave a mess behind for President Trump?

[Featured Image by Evan Vucci/AP Images]

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