Donald Trump on Welfare & Poverty 2016 Republican incumbent President; 2000 Reform Primary Challenger for President

1970s: changed rental practice to avoid discrimination suit

Cohn recommended that Trump Management file a countersuit against the Justice Dept. for $100 million over what he alleged were the government's false and misleading statements about his client. The maneuver was simultaneously absurd, flashy, and effective--at least in the terms of publicity it garnered; it was the first time that Donald, at 27, had landed on a newspapers' front page. And although the countersuit would be tossed out of court, Trump Management settled the case. There was no admission of wrongdoing, but they did have to change their rental practices to avoid discrimination. Even so, Cohn and Donald considered it a win because of all the press coverage.

Suspends some SNAP limits; may still curtail eligibility

9,000 Opportunities Zones are transforming neighborhoods

7M people off welfare and food stamps

The unemployment rates for African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, and Asian-Americans have reached the lowest levels in history. African-American youth unemployment has reached an all-time low. The unemployment rate for women reached the lowest level in almost 70 years--and last year, women filled 72% of all new jobs added. A record number of young Americans are now employed.

Under the last administration, more than 10 million people were added to the food stamp rolls. Under my Administration, 7 million Americans have come off of food stamps, and 10 million people have been lifted off of welfare.

Opportunity Zones in 9,000 neglected neighborhoods

Opportunity Zones are helping Americans like Army Veteran Tony Rankins from Cincinnati, Ohio. After struggling with drug addiction, Tony lost his job, his house, and his family--he was homeless. But then Tony found a construction company that invests in Opportunity Zones. He is now a top tradesman, drug-free, reunited with his family, and he is here tonight. Tony: Keep up the great work.

New rule will cut SNAP benefits for 688,000

Rebuild our black inner cities, which are so sad

Trump's rhetoric about black Americans has been shaped by conservative views about what black America is like and what its people want. They've been predicated on the idea that there are hard-working black people who are being held back by the cultural pathology of their inner-city surroundings.

This is a vision of the African-American community that's been common in both white and black conservative politics for decades. It's the vision that brought some African-American leaders to support the war on drugs. It's the vision of "respectability politics" proponents from Ben Carson to Bill Cosby.

Help those in need by massive tax cuts & cutting regulations

That includes, we will be doing massive tax cuts for working families and for businesses. It includes, very importantly, the elimination of all needless job-killing regulations. It includes lifting the restrictions on American energy, which is under siege. I will also renegotiate NAFTA. And if they don't want to renegotiate it so it becomes a two-way highway, not just a one-way highway out of the United States for our companies and our jobs, we will terminate NAFTA. It's going to be America first, and it's going to be the American worker first.

1970s: opposed rent control but lived in rent-controlled apt

1981: Rent-control tenants are "millionaires in mink coats"

Trump, tenants said, tried to force them out by annoying them. He proposed to move homeless people into at least ten vacant apartments. Maintenance workers ignored leaky faucets and covered up windows of empty apartments with ratty tinfoil. A tenants' group accused Trump of harassment, but he denied all. "The rich," he said, "have a very low threshold for pain."

After a 5-year standoff, Trump dropped his demolition plans and renovated into luxury apartments. The existing tenants could stay.

Sought to exclude welfare recipients from his residences

OpEd:"dog-whistle" racist language links "welfare" & "black"

Did Donald Trump know that as he complained about being forced to accept tenants on welfare he was using code--eventually this would be called dog-whistle language--to play on racial animus? He insisted that he never intended such a thing, and complained that efforts to test the practices of real estate managers amounted to "a form of horrible harassment." But in choosing to fight the government and claiming the Feds were trying to force him to accept welfare clients, Trump did play on stereotypes. When the case was settled, Trump agreed to a process that would make it much easier for minority applicants to move into his buildings. This type of agreement was all the federal prosecutors wanted when they first approached the Trumps.

I don't like firing people; work makes people better

That's what I find so morally offensive about welfare dependency: it robs people of the chance to improve. Work gives every day a sense of purpose. A job well done provides a sense of pride and accomplishment. I love to work. In fact, I like working so much that I seldom take vacations. Because I work so hard, I've been privileged to create jobs for tens of thousands of people. And on my hit show "The Apprentice", I get to work with people from all works of life. I'm known for my famous line, "You're fired!" But the truth is, I don't like firing people. Sometimes you have to do it, but it's never fun or easy. One of my favorite parts of business is seeing how work transforms people into better, more confident, more competent individuals. It's inspiring and beautiful to watch.

Food stamps should be temporary; not a decade on the dole

The really infuriating thing is that the Obama administration doesn't seem to care about how taxpayers are being shaken down by this outrageously mismanaged government program.

The blatant waste of taxpayers' dollars doesn't bother Obama, because it's all part of his broader nanny-state agenda. Perhaps that's why his administration doesn't give a rip about policing fraud or administering responsible oversight-he's buying votes.

Apply welfare-to-work to 76 other welfare programs

The way forward is to do what we did with AFDC and attach welfare benefits to work. The Welfare Reform Act of 2011--proposed by Republican Congressman Jim Jordan of Ohio, Tim Scott of South Carolina, and Scott Garrett of New Jersey--does just that.

I give a lot of money away to charity

Warren Buffet is a great example: billionaire investor Warren Buffet is distributing more than $30 billion of his stock to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which focuses on global health issues.

It is also important to give your knowledge and insight freely to anyone who asks. I believe people absorb more efficiently and faster when they learn by doing, and I am intent on giving people the knowledge they need to succeed. I give two-hour speeches at The Learning Annex Wealth Expos for the same purpose, and I donate a large portion of my speaking fees to charity.

Let "saints" help teen moms; restrict public assistance

Sponsored bill providing housing vouchers to ex-addicts.

Congressional Summary: Transitional Housing for Recovery in Viable Environments Demonstration Program Act: This bill requires HUD to establish a five-year demonstration program to provide low-income rental-assistance vouchers to individuals recovering from an opioid or other substance-use disorder. Specifically, these vouchers shall be provided through a supportive housing program that provides treatment for such disorders and coordination with workforce development providers.

Statement in support by the Republican Policy Committee: This bill would set aside, out of approximately 2.2 million vouchers, the lesser of 10,000 Section 8 vouchers or .05% of all vouchers. In 2017, President Trump established the President's Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis. The Commission will be chaired by Governor Chris Christie and will study ways to combat and treat the scourge of the opioid crisis. The Commission noted, "There is a critical shortage of recovery housing for Americans in or pursuing recovery. Recovery residences (also known as 'sober homes') are alcohol- and drug-free living environments for individuals seeking the skills and social support to remain free of alcohol or other drugs."

Statement in opposition by National Low-Income Housing Coalition: The bill would lengthen affordable housing waiting lists for low income families, seniors, and people experiencing homelessness. Rep. Maxine Waters spoke against the bill [saying it] tries to help people suffering from substance-use disorders, but that doing so requires more resources: "You cannot do this on the cheap. Rehabilitation costs money. We would be taking 10,000 vouchers from those who have been waiting in line for years."

Legislative outcome: Bill Passed House, 230-17-24 on June 14, 2018. No vote in Senate [died in committee].