[FoxNews] Social media users mocked White House Domestic Policy Advisor Susan Rice’s claim that racism has had a massive impact on the U.S. economy during a speech on Wednesday.Rice appeared as a guest at the National Action Network's, founded by Al Sharpton, convention in New York City to speak about the White House’s commitment to promoting civil rights. During her speech, she made the radical claim that the United States has suffered a $16 trillion shortfall because of racism.
"In the last 20 years, the U.S. had a GDP shortfall of $16 trillion due to discrimination against Black Americans. If we closed our racial gaps, we could add another $5 trillion to GDP over just the next five years. And in case you’re wondering, that’s not my math, that’s, according to Citibank. We all benefit when every community has the chance to thrive," Rice said.
This claim faced scrutiny and scorn by Twitter users for the extreme estimate about the impact of racism.
The Citibank report cited by Rice claimed, "The analysis in the report that follows shows that if four key racial gaps for Blacks —wages, education, housing, and investment — were closed 20 years ago, $16 trillion could have been added to the U.S. economy. And if the gaps are closed today, $5 trillion can be added to U.S. GDP over the next five years."
Elsewhere during the conference, Rice attacked Republican policies regarding education and critical race theory.