Shocking! Blue-Collar Wages Hit 60-Year High Under Trump—You Won’t Believe the Rise!
Blue-Collar Wage Growth Under Trump vs. Biden
During President Donald Trump’s second term, blue-collar workers experienced a significant wage increase of nearly 2% in the first five months, the highest in nearly six decades. This contrasts sharply with declines seen during Joe Biden’s administration, according to the US Department of the Treasury.
Since Richard Nixon’s presidency in 1969, Trump has been the only leader to report positive wage growth for non-supervisory, production workers within the first five months of his term. He also achieved a 1.3% increase during his initial term.
Economist Scott Bessent noted that the current wage rise is primarily due to falling inflation and Trump’s focus on strengthening manufacturing and reducing illegal immigration from the workforce. Bessent pointed out that Biden’s border policies led to an influx of migrants, which he says puts downward pressure on wages for American workers.
From December 2024 to May 2025, real wage growth for blue-collar workers was more than double that of the Nixon era’s 0.8%. Historically, other administrations have seen wage declines during comparable periods:
- Obama (2009): -0.3%
- Clinton (1993): -0.6%
- G.W. Bush (2001): -0.6%
- Reagan (1981): -0.9%
- H.W. Bush (1989): -3.0%
- Carter (1977): 0% (stagnation)
Scott Bessent emphasized that this wage increase, unprecedented since Nixon, is driven by policies aimed at boosting manufacturing and reducing illegal immigration, which had previously suppressed wages.
Future Economic Prospects
Trump’s team claims that the upcoming Senate approval of the proposed “One Big Beautiful Bill” could further lower inflation and accelerate wage growth, echoing his first-term economic policies. The bill proposes tax relief for blue-collar workers, including no taxes on tips and exemptions on overtime pay for millions in industries such as manufacturing and construction.
Additionally, incentives for domestic manufacturing aim to create up to 6 million blue-collar jobs, reversing decades of offshoring.
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