Hassett: Trump Delivered Thousands in Raises Biden Took Away

By Editorial Staff | August 9, 2026

National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett delivered a pointed comparison between the two administrations' records on blue-collar wages, saying the typical construction or manufacturing worker has seen their salary rise by roughly $3,000 to $4,000 under President Trump, a sharp reversal from what he described as a decline of about $3,000 during the Biden administration. Hassett attributed the earlier drop to what he called a collapsing manufacturing sector under President Biden, arguing that the contrast between the two records speaks for itself. "We'll take our record over his every day," Hassett said, framing the wage gains as clear evidence that the administration's economic policies are delivering for working-class Americans.

The comments align with a consistent message Hassett has pushed in numerous television appearances throughout the year, repeatedly citing real wage data showing gains for construction, manufacturing, and mining workers as proof of the strength of the current economy, even during stretches when headline job creation numbers came in below expectations. In one recent appearance, Hassett noted that real incomes for mining workers alone were up roughly $7,000 this year, and he has consistently argued that wage data, rather than broader personal income figures that include government transfers, represents the most accurate measure of how working Americans are actually faring under the administration's policies.

Not everyone has accepted Hassett's framing without pushback. Some economists and media figures have pressed him on polling showing a majority of Americans still describe economic conditions as poor, as well as on separate government data showing personal income growth turning slightly negative in recent months, a discrepancy Hassett has attributed to reductions in transfer payments like food stamps as part of the administration's broader push to shrink federal spending. Even so, Hassett has held firm on the underlying wage numbers, arguing that when it comes to real, inflation-adjusted pay for the workers building and manufacturing America's goods, the record of the current administration stands in stark contrast to what he describes as the wage erosion of the Biden years.