As December rolls around, this is an opportune time to examine the country’s economic standing and President Donald Trump’s progress in reversing the effects of “Bidenomics,” which he has described as “…an economic catastrophe and an inflation nightmare.” Christmas is upon us, and after that, the first anniversary of Trump’s second term, and his quest to reverse what he called “…the worst, the weakest, and slowest economic recovery since the Great Depression.”
This is especially poignant since Christmas, a celebration of fellowship and gift giving, can incur financial pressures derived from unrealistic expectations, and the potential onset of anxiety and stress from over spending and over extension.
Throughout the year discussions about the country’s economic standing has been a back and forth exchange between the two major parties, about the relative merits of the state of the union, and a time-worn game of passing the buck on the responsibility for its shortcomings and successes.
Affordability and Christian Charity
“They have a new word, you know they always have hoax…the new word is ‘affordability.’”
—Donald J. Trump a rally in Mount Pocono, PA. on Dec. 9, 2025.
Before the commercialization of Christmas, it was rooted in the biblical traditions of giving, dating back to the generosity displayed at the birth of Jesus. It has come to include extending the heart and resources to those in need. Trump was raised a Presbyterian although he admittedly does not regularly attend church services. As a nondenominational Christian, he believes that this doctrine is the key to financial and material prosperity, a tenet he shares with the conservative evangelical community.
Former head of Los Angeles Black Business Association and a devoted Christian, Earl “Skip” Cooper takes issue with the president’s fiscal approach.
“His erratic approach to managing the economy of the USA has the system in near ruin,” Cooper said.
Cooper points out that Trump’s longstanding commitment to deportation is at odds with notions of Christian charity, including America’s own tradition of granting asylum to the “huddled masses” new to the country. Removing unskilled labor also means an erosion of grassroots employment in an increasingly precarious economy. “His caustic immigration policy has negatively affected the nation’s workforce and cast a negative aura over the future of vibrant interactive exchange,” said Cooper.
These sentiments are echoed by the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee and the Wharton School of Business, which is ironically the president’s alma mater.
Cooper continued to discuss the issue of affordability. “When families have less money to spend, the general economy slows and value decreases…The affordability crisis is not a hoax but is very real for the average American.”
The Perils of Ownership: small business owners testimony
“…Working at a fair price used to be negotiable. Now it’s wrought with some desperateness to get the price they need because it’s essential for them to have a way to earn money to survive.”
—business owner James Merrill on the difficulties in hiring subcontractors in the present economy
Starting a new business-regardless of ethnicity-is an uphill battle. Black shop owners, like most minorities, cater to those within their own communities, who historically have less discretionary income than their counterparts in the general population. Ironically, during the course of his first term Trump pledged commitment to minority businesses in 2017, when he designated October 22 through October 28 as National Minority Enterprise Development Week.
“Minority-owned businesses are a bedrock of the American economy and will be a critical component in the country’s new period of economic revival,” a White House press release said in part. To reinforce these claims, the president claimed to remove regulations to enable minority business enterprises to successfully compete, along with lowering their tax rates. At the same time, his administration made subtle efforts to cut funding and cancel grants to progressive concerns like the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA). Upon his return to office, he issued an Executive Order effectively eliminating the MBDA on March 14.
Perhaps a decade ago, African American entrepreneurs James Merrill, Michael A. Scott, and the late John Kimpson parlayed youthful dreams and considerable trial and error into the South Bay startup Thingamajig Studios, which was an entertainment concern focused on comic books, gaming, and related culture. Its existence over the past ten years gives them a unique vantage point on the pros and cons of the current administration versus the Joseph Biden era that preceded it.
Merrill sums up the past year in a nutshell. “Grants and programs have been eliminated,” he notes as in reference to the policies enacted so far.
“We counted on this to even the playing field and provide opportunities for us to grow our businesses and companies,” said Merrill.
Thingamajig’s cofounder Scott agrees, reserving cautious optimism for the future.
“The main thing I have seen is a lot of the funding for grants for minorities and small businesses have been reduced and or removed completely. We just have to be more strategic with our finances,” said Scott.
No man is an island: foreign trade and the fate of three more years
“Donald Trump’s presidency has been significantly less for what it builds than for what it reveals. By dropping diplomatic language and restraint, he has exposed America’s harsher instincts and the uneven way power is applied.”
—Attorney Kamilah V. Moore
With the enactment of the “big, beautiful bill,” Trump aimed to establish tariffs on foreign goods, possibly to encourage purchases of American made products. However, commerce is always a two way street. Entertainment and human rights lawyer Kamilah Moore recently expanded her resume, with entry into the push for reparations connected to the slavery legacy and residual racism.
Towards that end, she has traveled to the Motherland to spread the word about this humanitarian crusade. Speaking from the West African nation of Togo, she shared an informed opinion about the Chief Executive and his influence beyond the parameters of the immediate holiday. Starting with her current passion, she is candid about what’s in store. “I do not believe reparations for Black American descendants of slavery will be a priority under this administration. That said, reparations have never moved forward because those in power were comfortable with it,” said Moore.
Referencing the past, she urges maintaining the course in spite of these less than optimal circumstances.“Black Americans have made progress through persistence, legal pressure, and moral clarity, often in political environments that were openly hostile,” she said.
Her present location offers a special vantage point in that she is exposed to attitudes and opinions outside the maelstrom of the American body politic. “Across the African continent, reactions to President Trump are mixed, but opposition is often clearer than support,” she reveals.
Moore continues, “Many people I spoke with were frustrated by U.S. immigration restrictions tied to the Trump era, especially policies that limit travel, visas, and long term opportunities.”
Ironically, Trump’s rough, unsophisticated rhetoric directed at his base is in itself a plus compared to the more calculated fluid approach by past conservatives like Ronald “the great communicator” Reagan. As Moore notes, the emergence of a populist, unvarnished, rabble-rouser makes it easier to see the “…attitudes and systems that had long existed but were often hidden behind more polished leadership.”
“By dropping diplomatic language and restraint, he has exposed America’s harsher instincts and the uneven way power is applied,” said Moore.
Light at the end of the tunnel and a new year
Trump’s second administration is exhibiting cracks in its core. Indiana, a Republican bastion of conservatism in the nation’s heartland, has revoked his master plan of congressional redistricting, and stacking the deck to retain the House majority. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Trump’s steadfast soldier and party loyalist, has broken ranks since her feminist sensibilities surfaced over the Jeffrey Epstein controversies.
On the opposite side of the political spectrum, liberals are emboldened by the reality of term limits within the political system. Among them is Michael Scott, empowered “…with the notion that he (Trump) can’t run again and with the mid-term coming up.”
“Hopefully we can regain the Senate or Congress to have more balance.”