WSJ: The manufacturing boom Trump promised would usher in a golden age for America is going in reverse [View all]

The manufacturing boom President #Trump promised would usher in a golden age for America is going in reverse

Levies on imports were supposed to bring back a golden age of U.S. manufacturing. They haven’t worked, so far.

www.wsj.com/economy/u-s-...

The manufacturing boom President #Trump promised would usher in a golden age for America is going in reverse

Levies on imports were supposed to bring back a golden age of U.S. manufacturing. They haven’t worked, so far.

www.wsj.com/economy/u-s-...

— (@oceancalm.bsky.social) 2026-02-04T13:23:52.595Z

Trump’s Tariffs Aren’t Helping
Levies on imports were supposed to bring back a golden age of U.S. manufacturing. They haven’t worked, so far.

By David Uberti

Feb. 2, 2026 9:00 pm ET

After tariffs rose to the highest levels in centuries, the U.S. lost tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs last year. In December, WSJ’s Gavin Bade went inside Detroit to learn why—and meet the winners of the new trade paradigm. Photo Illustration: Ryan Trefes

The manufacturing boom President Trump promised would usher in a golden age for America is going in reverse. After years of economic interventions by the Trump and Biden administrations, fewer Americans work in manufacturing than any point since the pandemic ended.

Manufacturers shed workers in each of the eight months after Trump unveiled “Liberation Day” tariffs, according to federal figures, extending a contraction that has seen more than 200,000 roles disappear since 2023.

An index of factory activity tracked by the Institute for Supply Management shrunk in 26 straight months through December, but showed a January uptick in new orders and production that surprised analysts. The Census Bureau estimates that manufacturing construction spending, which surged with Biden-era funding for chips and renewable energy, fell in each of Trump’s first nine months in office..........