Stand up for the facts!

Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.

More Info

I would like to contribute

Donna Brazile at the Essence Festival in New Orleans in 2019. (AP) Donna Brazile at the Essence Festival in New Orleans in 2019. (AP)

Donna Brazile at the Essence Festival in New Orleans in 2019. (AP)

Louis Jacobson
By Louis Jacobson February 5, 2024

Donna Brazile, Reince Priebus disagreed on record for Black unemployment. Brazile is closer to right

If Your Time is short

  • The all-time low for Black unemployment was set less than a year ago under Joe Biden.

  • Since that record was set, it has risen half a percentage point, to 5.3%.

  • Learn more about PolitiFact’s fact-checking process and rating system.

On ABC’s "This Week," two members of the show’s roundtable segment sparred over President Joe Biden’s economic accomplishments, including whether Black unemployment is at an all-time low.

Donna Brazile, a longtime Democratic campaign official, and Reince Priebus, a former Republican National Committee chair and Donald Trump’s first White House chief of staff, split on the question Feb. 4.

Brazile touted Biden’s record: "He's growing the economy. He's investing in manufacturing. Black unemployment is the lowest in American history."

Priebus responded, "No, it's not." 

They continued:

Sign up for PolitiFact texts

Brazile: "I mean, so, yes, it is."

Priebus: "No, it's not."

Brazile: "Oh, seriously?"

Priebus: "Black unemployment?"

Brazile: "Black unemployment. I mean, look, we're not going back to slavery, OK?"

Host George Stephanopoulos cut off the exchange before it could be resolved. So, we decided to check the data.

Brazile has a point: The all-time low was set under Biden less than a year ago, when Black unemployment fell to 4.8% in April 2023. (This statistic has been kept since 1972, so "all time" really means about five decades.)

Black unemployment has risen slightly since then, while remaining low historically.

Featured Fact-check

By the most recent month, January 2024, the rate had ticked up half a percentage point to 5.3%. That ties the low achieved under Biden’s predecessor, Trump, set in August and September of 2019.

Trump’s supporters can also say that his record on Black unemployment is strong historically — at least until the coronavirus pandemic hit.

Before Trump’s presidency, the record low for Black unemployment had been 7%. But in about two-thirds of the pre-pandemic months of Trump’s presidency, the rate was equal to or lower than 7%, often setting records that were eventually broken during Biden’s presidency.

Brazile told PolitiFact she had nothing to add. Priebus did not answer an inquiry for this article.

Our ruling

Brazile said that under Biden, "Black unemployment is the lowest in American history."

The all-time low for Black unemployment was set less than a year ago under Joe Biden. Since that record was set, Black unemployment has risen half a percentage point. 

We rate the statement Mostly True.

Our Sources

Donna Brazile and Reince Priebus, remarks on ABC "This Week," Jan. 4, 2024

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Unemployment rate, Black or African American, accessed Jan. 5, 2024

Email interview with Donna Brazile, Democratic strategist and ABC "This Week" roundtable panelist, Jan. 5, 2024

Browse the Truth-O-Meter

More by Louis Jacobson

Donna Brazile, Reince Priebus disagreed on record for Black unemployment. Brazile is closer to right

Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!

In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.

Sign me up