Economic experts are praising President Donald Trump for fulfilling a major campaign promise that’s benefiting the wallets of Americans.
Yesterday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent credited Trump for a nearly 2% increase in wages for hourly workers in the first five months of his second term.
“Thanks to @POTUS’s pro-growth, America First policies, real wages for hourly workers are up nearly 2% in the first five months of @realDonaldTrump’s second term — the strongest growth in 60 years,” Bessent wrote in a post on X, along with a chart comparing the real-wage hourly growth in the first five months of the nine previous presidencies to Trump’s second term.
Thanks to @POTUS’s pro-growth, America First policies, real wages for hourly workers are up nearly 2% in the first five months of @realDonaldTrump’s second term — the strongest growth in 60 years.
No president has done that before — except President Trump in his first term.… pic.twitter.com/gasjQn33eb
— Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) June 17, 2025
“No president has done that before — except President Trump in his first term,” Bessent wrote. “Hardworking Americans and Main Street businesses have never had a stronger ally in the @WhiteHouse.”
Here are the numbers to back up this staggering growth not seen in decades.
According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, since Trump took office, average hourly earnings for blue-collar workers increased 1.7% to $31.18, from $30.67 in December.
Historically, wage growth for nonsupervisory workers rises 2% to 3% annually, so 1.7% in five months implies a potential 4.1% annualized pace, which would be considered a strong increase by experts.
Additionally, inflation continued to cool since Trump took office, with the Consumer Price Index falling from 2.9% in December 2024 to 2.4% in May.
The inflation data came in under economists’ expectations, which were set on a higher target because of tariffs’ expected impact on prices.
“CPI JUST OUT. GREAT NUMBERS! FED SHOULD LOWER ONE FULL POINT,” Trump posted on Truth Social at the time. “WOULD PAY MUCH LESS INTEREST ON DEBT COMING DUE. SO IMPORTANT!!!”
Since Richard Nixon in 1969, Trump has been the only president to record positive growth for blue-collar workers in their first five months, according to a New York Post report.
The recovery from a 1.7% decline during Joe Biden’s first five months, as inflation outpaced earnings, suggested a shift in economic conditions for this financially stressed segment of the workforce.
Joseph LaVorgna, an economist recently named a counselor to Bessent, noted that between 2018 and 2019, the median household income jumped by $5,220 to an inflation-adjusted $78,250.
The Council of Economic Advisers estimated last month that extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts in the reconciliation budget bill before the Senate could increase annual real wages and boost real annual take-home pay for median-income households.
Trump’s team will continue to try and capitalize on this growth.
The White House continues pushing the One Big, Beautiful Bill to pass through Congress to “supercharge” the economy and provide fresh energy to some of the large-scale trends taking place, such as rising wages.
“The One Big Beautiful Bill will raise take-home pay between $7,800 and $13,300 for the average family of four. It will increase wages between $6,100 to $11,600 for the average worker,” Bessent told Congress during a hearing last week.
.@SecScottBessent: PASS THE ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL.
— Make the Trump Tax Cuts permanent
— Raise take-home pay for the average family by as much as $13,300
— Increase the average worker's wages by as much as $11,600
— No Tax on Tips, No Tax on Overtime
— Support MADE IN AMERICA pic.twitter.com/5l8U06zQ30— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 11, 2025
Bessent has warned that not passing the bill would be “cataclysmic.”
“It would be the largest tax hike in history. It would be a disaster for businesses, for working Americans, and for our status in the world,” he told lawmakers last week.
“We would see increases in taxes of thousands of dollars on working Americans, we would see businesses contract, and we would see a substantial increase in the unemployment rate.”