For decades, conservatives claimed that Black and brown women were having babies for those “sweet, sweet welfare benefits.” But now, Donald Trump wants Americans, with emphasis on “White” women, to have more kids. According to The New York Times, “The White House has been hearing out a chorus of ideas in recent weeks for persuading Americans to get married and have more children, an early sign that the Trump administration will embrace a new cultural agenda pushed by many of its allies on the right to reverse declining birthrates and push conservative family values.”
One such initiative to fight the declining birthrate in US is a $5,000 “baby bonus.” According to ABC News, Trump is totally on board with this approach. “Sounds like a good idea to me,” he said on Thursday. But why this sudden shift? The President is not the only one concerned about the population collapse.
The idea of a declining birthrate has been gaining significant steam among his right-wing peers. In 2022, Elon Musk tweeted, “Population collapse due to low birth rate is much bigger risk to civilization than global warming.” In his first speech after winning Vice President, JD Vance also declared, “I want more babies in the United States of America.”
So, is the nation truly heading toward a population collapse? The fertility rate must be at 2.1 children per woman to keep the birth rate steady. However, a National Center for Health Statistics report says otherwise. As per the report, the fertility rates per demographic group as of 2022 are:
- Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: 2.238
- Hispanic: 1.970
- Black: 1.639
- White: 1.568
- American Indian/Alaska Native: 1.47
- Asian: 1.353
A declining population would lead to several major problems in the country, including lower productivity, which will devastate the economy. A shrinking tax base will create stagnation for services required by the aging population, including but not limited to health care and Social Security. According to experts, a population collapse only impacts a country’s development as there will be less innovation and entrepreneurial endeavors. While many Americans wish for house prices to go down, a declining population would definitely make it come true, but affect the real estate market and, therefore, the economy.
In 2023, our fertility rate fell to just 1.62 births per woman—well below the 2.1 replacement rate needed to maintain our population.
If nothing changes, America faces a future of shrinking families and communities, economic and cultural stagnation, and national decline. pic.twitter.com/SY94Bev99q
— Emma Waters (@emlwaters) April 23, 2025
According to Daily Kos, one factor that could play a role in fighting the declining birth rates is immigration. But most of the immigrants aren’t white, while the conservatives are keen on having more white babies in America.
Other than that, it’s pretty easy to understand why the nation is facing a challenge with a low birth rate, and some Republican policies could be directly responsible for that. Trump administration is very much against universal health care, and adding children to a household would only increase expenses for a family.
NEW: ‘The View’s’ Sunny Hostin suggests Trump’s new $5000 baby bonus concept is racially motivated and is being proposed to get white people to start having kids.
Congratulations, Joy Behar. You are no longer the dumbest woman on TV.
“In 2024, there was a 1% increase in U.S.… pic.twitter.com/G9VyGdRlOc
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 23, 2025
Then, there is the question of universal daycare and universal preschool. Most working-class families are unable to afford to have children because of how expensive daycare is. The GOP war on abortion just adds to it. Reports state in Texas, infant mortality increased by 13% after the state banned abortion. The fear of miscarriage and high-risk pregnancies is real.
House Republicans have been fighting against postpartum time. How are women supposed to have babies when they can’t even have paid maternity leave?
Let’s not forget about how expensive private education is, including college, as Donald Trump and his “first buddy” Elon Musk continue to work on dismantling the Department of Education altogether.
The growing age gap, vaccination skepticism, and other factors just make it more difficult for working-class families to afford babies. After all, not everyone is like the Tesla owner, with his limitless wealth and obsession with a “legion” of kids.
Well, the President has a few proposals to overcome all of this. Apart from the $5,000 “baby bonus” that every American mom will receive after delivery, there’s also a 30 percent scholarship for the Fullbright programs. Another one of Trump’s minions has an idea about government-funded programs that educate women on their menstrual cycle so they can understand when to conceive.
Trump “considering” a $5,000 ‘baby bonus’ to encourage “births”. Meanwhile it costs on average $10,000 to $18,000 to give birth and baby expenses range from $1,100 to $2,500 monthly. Not including rent, food, insurance, and other necessities.
This ‘bonus’ is a joke. pic.twitter.com/zgSWid9AY1
— Anonymous (@YourAnonCentral) April 22, 2025
There’s also another idea floating around inside the White House: “National Medal of Motherhood” for women with six or more kids.
Keeping away from the real problems and trying to fight the declining birth rate with such “unserious” proposals might come at a cost for Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans.
