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Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

Yes.

Real wages — wages adjusted for inflation — increased 7% during former President Donald Trump’s four years in office, the highest increase over one presidential term since the 1970s.

That’s according to a Texas A&M University analysis dating back to Jimmy Carter (1977-81).

The Trump increase was due partly to low-wage workers being laid off disproportionately during the COVID-19 pandemic, the analysis said.

Economist Josh Bivens of the liberal Economic Policy Institute said the 7% figure goes back to Richard Nixon’s first term in 1969. He called the increase under Trump “artificial” because fewer low-income workers were employed, driving up the average.

Depending on the type of real wages, such as hourly or weekly, the increase under Trump measures 8% or higher.

Republican Eric Hovde made the claim at an April 2, 2024, Trump event in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Hovde is running against Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin in the 2024 election.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Texas A&M University: Presidents, Inflation, and Real Wages

Google Docs: Josh Bivens email 4/5/24

FactCheck.org: Trump’s Final Numbers

Forbes Breaking News: ‘You’ve Got To Be Kidding Me!’: Eric Hovde Torches Tammy Baldwin’s Record At Wisconsin Trump Rally

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Did real wages increase under Donald Trump more than any other modern president?

by Tom Kertscher / Wisconsin Watch, Wisconsin Watch
April 10, 2024

<h1>Did real wages increase under Donald Trump more than any other modern president?</h1>
<p class="byline">by Tom Kertscher / Wisconsin Watch, Wisconsin Watch <br />April 10, 2024</p>

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<figure class="wp-block-media-text__media"><img src="https://wisconsinwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Wisconsin_Watch_fact_brief-782x409.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1278996 size-full" /></figure>
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<p><em><em><a href="https://www.wisconsinwatch.org/">Wisconsin Watch</a></em> partners with&nbsp;<a href="https://gigafact.org/">Gigafact</a>&nbsp;to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. <a href="https://wisconsinwatch.org/2023/05/how-wisconsin-watch-checks-claims-for-its-gigafact-fact-briefs/">Read our methodology</a> to learn how we check claims.</em></p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Yes.</h2>
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<p>Real wages <em>—</em> wages adjusted for inflation <em>—</em> increased 7% during former President Donald Trump’s four years in office, the highest increase over one presidential term since the 1970s.</p>
<p>That's according to a&nbsp;Texas A&amp;M University&nbsp;analysis&nbsp;dating back to Jimmy Carter (1977-81).</p>
<p>The Trump increase was due partly to low-wage workers being laid off disproportionately during the COVID-19 pandemic, the analysis said.</p>
<p>Economist Josh Bivens of the&nbsp;liberal&nbsp;Economic Policy Institute&nbsp;said&nbsp;the 7% figure goes back to Richard Nixon's first term in 1969. He called the increase under Trump "artificial" because fewer low-income workers were employed, driving up the average.</p>
<p>Depending on the type of real&nbsp;wages, such as hourly or weekly, the increase under Trump measures 8% or&nbsp;higher.</p>
<p>Republican Eric Hovde made the&nbsp;claim&nbsp;at an April 2, 2024, Trump event in Green Bay, Wisconsin.</p>
<p>Hovde is running against Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin in the 2024 election. </p>
<p><em>This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2PpRWYKDN8&amp;t=105s" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">this one</a>.</em></p>
<p><strong>Sources</strong></p>
<p>Texas A&amp;M University: <a href="https://archive.is/dLOTD" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Presidents, Inflation, and Real Wages</a></p>
<p>Google Docs: <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/15KiN5piVq2UfpPiXwwsds7xWn2CyUofDYo1KfOkzhA8/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Josh Bivens email 4/5/24</a></p>
<p>FactCheck.org: <a href="https://archive.is/Ed4OF" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Trump’s Final Numbers</a></p>
<p>Forbes Breaking News: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2PpRWYKDN8&amp;t=105s" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">'You've Got To Be Kidding Me!': Eric Hovde Torches Tammy Baldwin's Record At Wisconsin Trump Rally</a></p>
</p></div>
<p>This &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://wisconsinwatch.org/2024/04/trump-president-real-wages-inflation-hovde-baldwin-fact-brief/&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; first appeared on &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://wisconsinwatch.org&quot;&gt;Wisconsin Watch&lt;/a&gt; and is republished here under a &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/&quot;&gt;Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i0.wp.com/wisconsinwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cropped-WCIJ_IconOnly_FullColor_RGB-1.png?fit=150%2C150&amp;amp;quality=100&amp;amp;ssl=1&quot; style=&quot;width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;&quot;&gt;</p>
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Did real wages increase under Donald Trump more than any other modern president?

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