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“We are all here tonight for one reason: We need to change the direction of our nation,” Alabama Senator Katie Britt began her prime-time address at the Republican National Convention. “And Donald Trump is the change we need!”
Britt quickly began to attack President Biden for his supposed inability to serve as president, a frequent topic on the left and right following his debate performance in late June.
“The American people won’t have the wool pulled over our eyes,” Britt said. “We see how Biden and Harris keep making things worse and we know the current president is not capable of turning things around.”
“Our opportunity, our prosperity, our security, our safety, each diminished, all in decline. Just like the man in the Oval Office,” she intoned.
However, with the RNC’s theme Monday being “Make America Wealthy Once Again,” most of Britt’s short speech concentrated on the state of the economy.
“Under President Trump, we had the strongest economy in history,” Britt stated. “That’s right. You didn’t need to go into debt just to make ends meet. Energy dominant, stable prices, secure borders, strong families, and communities. That’s what Donald Trump will deliver.”
“With President Trump, the tough choice was which job offer to accept. Now it’s which second job to take just to pay the bills,” the senator quipped.
Despite Britt’s insinuations, by most objective metrics the labor market has been performing remarkably well since Trump left office. Although the unemployment rate ticked up recently, it remained below 4 percent for the longest stretch of time since the Vietnam War. And wage growth has fairly consistently outpaced inflation, with gains concentrated in traditionally low-pay sectors.
Plus the percentage of the workforce with multiple jobs actually declined between 2019 and 2023. In 2019, 5.1 percent of jobholders had multiple jobs. In 2023, it was 5.0 percent, a slight increase over the 4.8 percent rate in 2022 but still below 2019.
After discussing kitchen table issues and the economy, Britt made her case for re-electing Donald Trump in November.
“With President Trump back in the White House, we will reawaken the exceptionalism of the greatest nation ever known,” she said. “We will defeat decline, dust off our dreams, and forge our future because families across our nation deserve better.”
Britt finished her speech by asking Republicans to “roll up our sleeves, send President Trump back to the White House, and get America back on track.”
