Fact Sheet: Donald Trump on LGBTQ Issues: the Economy, Jobs, and Housing

GLAAD has documented the anti-LGBTQ history of Donald Trump, including his policies and efforts that affect jobs, inflation, LGBTQ participation in the economy, and access to housing. The full anti-LGBTQ record is available on GLAAD’s Trump Accountability Tracker. 

Regarding top priority issues for LGBTQ voters in the 2024 election, economic concerns such as inflation/high prices and jobs/economy are at the forefront, according to GLAAD’s poll.

The economy, jobs, housing, and effect on the LGBTQ community:

LGBTQ people in the United States have the same worries as others when it comes to finding good jobs and saving for the future. But according to the Movement Advancement Project, research consistently finds that LGBTQ people and their families are more likely to struggle economically, experiencing higher rates of poverty and food insecurity. 

According to The Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, social and legal exclusion of LGBTQ people creates economic hardships for individuals and can negatively affect the economy.

LGBTQ people continue to face discrimination in many aspects of daily life—including at school, which may mean they are less likely to gain needed education; at work, which can result in unemployment or lower wages; and when seeking homes, which can result in instability—all contribute to this economic insecurity.  

• Currently, there is no federal law that consistently protects LGBTQ people from housing discrimination. The Equality Act would amend the Civil Rights Act to ensure comprehensive protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity nationwide, including in housing, education, public accommodations and access to credit. 
• According to HRC, “A 2013 study by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development showed that same-sex couples experience significant levels of discrimination when responding to advertised rental housing in metropolitan areas nationwide.”
• “The actual percentage of LGBT people living in poverty decreased significantly by 2021, a year after the onset of the pandemic,” according to the Williams Institute, likely a result of COVID-19 economic relief funding and payments provided by the U.S. government, such as the American Rescue Plan Act, which included unemployment benefits, family and childcare tax credits, and direct cash payments.” On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan into law.
• The Fair and Equal Housing Act would provide consistent and explicit non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people in housing by adding “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as protected characteristics under the Fair Housing Act. The bill was introduced in the House in 2023. 
• Currently, people who identify as LGBTQ and believe they have experienced housing discrimination because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity can assert their rights under the Fair Housing Act by filing a complaint with HUD.   

Trump’s record on jobs includes: 

• Overall job losses (2.9 million), making Trump the only president in modern U.S. history to leave office with fewer jobs than when he started.
• When Trump left office in January 2021, the unemployment rate was 6.3%, which was 1.6% higher than when he took office.
• Before the COVID-19 pandemic, job growth under Trump was slightly slower than during the last three years of the Obama administration. 

Trump’s record on taxes:

• Trump’s 2017 tax cut pushed the tax rate on the 400 wealthiest households below the rates for almost everyone else. Economists calculate the richest 400 families in the U.S. paid an average tax rate of 23% while the bottom half of households paid a rate of 24.2%.

Trump’s record on the national debt: 

• Increasing the national debt by almost $7.8 trillion (or $23,500 in new federal debt for every person in the country). This is the third-biggest increase, relative to the size of the economy, of any U.S. presidential administration. 

Trump’s record on housing includes:

• Opposing the passage of the Equality Act, the bill that would add sexual orientation and gender identity to federal civil rights law to prevent discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people in housing and other areas.
• Changing to the Equal Access Rule allowing single-sex shelters to turn away transgender people, exacerbating discrimination. 
• Consistently proposing significant cuts to federal affordable housing programs including slashing the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) budget by $9.6 billion, or 18% below 2019 levels.
• Proposing eliminating funding for public housing agencies to address critical capital needs, such as fixing leaking roofs or replacing outdated heating systems.
• Proposing raising rents and imposing work requirements on some of the poorest families receiving federal housing assistance.
• Repealing the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule, which was designed to combat housing discrimination and promote inclusive housing decisions.
• Attempting to modify the disparate impact rule, potentially making it harder to challenge discriminatory housing practices against minorities.
• Reducing the public housing stock.
• Contributing to housing supply shortages and increasing prices due to Trump’s tariffs on Canadian lumber, averaging over 20%.
• Attempting to reduce federal involvement in affordable housing, dismantling fair housing regulations, and implementing policies that exacerbated housing insecurity for vulnerable populations.

Trump’s record on supporting workplace discrimination against LGBTQ people includes: 

• Filing an amicus brief in the Bostock vs. Clayton County case asking the United States Supreme to legalize anti-gay discrimination in the workplace. 
• Submitted a brief to the Supreme Court asking the Justices to rule that Title VII, a federal law that prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of sex, race, color, religion or national origin, does not protect transgender people. 

Trump’s pre-presidency record on housing includes: 

• Trump was sued for housing discrimination in the 1970s. In October 1973, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil rights lawsuit against Donald Trump, his father Fred Trump, and their company Trump Management Inc. The lawsuit alleged that the Trumps violated the Fair Housing Act of 1968 by discriminating against black renters and other minorities in their apartment complexes across Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. 

Trump’s pre-presidency record on other economic issues includes:

• Filing for business bankruptcy six times, not personally but through his companies including: Trump Taj Mahal in 1991; Trump Castle Hotel & Casino in 1992; Trump Plaza Casino in 1992; Trump Plaza Hotel in 1992; Trump Hotels and Casinos Resorts in 2004; and Trump Entertainment Resorts in 2009. 
• Failing to pay contractors and employees across various projects and businesses. Trump and his companies have faced hundreds of allegations of non-payment or underpayment to contractors, workers, and even lawyers. 
• Since 2005, Trump-linked businesses have reportedly committed 24 violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act for failing to meet minimum wage and overtime payment requirements.

GLAAD’s Voter Poll shows:

• LGBTQ registered voters are highly motivated as the presidential and key congressional campaigns approach, with 94% indicating they are definitely (83%) or probably (11%) voting this November. 
• 82% strongly agree that “Republicans should stop focusing on restricting women’s rights and banning medical care for transgender youth and instead focus on addressing inflation, job creation, and healthcare costs.”