Republicans face midterm backlash from factory workers squeezed out of
jobs by Trump's tariffs
[October 12, 2026] By
BERNARD CONDON
NEW YORK (AP) — Nelson Vandermeer voted Republican for decades but
balked at supporting President Donald Trump, fearing that the
Republican's plan for tariffs on imports would hurt workers more than
help.
Last year, Vandermeer's premonition came true in a very personal way.
The 62-year-old lost his job as a product designer at Howard Miller, a
clockmaker that relied on parts produced overseas. After a century in
business, the company in Zeeland, Michigan, closed its factory, sold off
its inventory and brand name and laid off nearly 200 workers.
“So much for bringing jobs back,” Vandermeer said. Next month, he plans
to vote straight Democrat in the midterms.
As if an unpopular war with Iran and persistent inflation were not
enough trouble for Republicans, they are confronting a backlash over the
tariffs that Trump made a cornerstone of his economic agenda. He
promised that charging higher taxes on imports would spur a factory
renaissance in the United States, but that has not come to pass.
Although the country has added manufacturing jobs so far this year, the
sector has fewer employees than when Trump returned to the White House
in January 2025.
White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers insisted that a factory boom is
underway, citing increases in manufacturing output and more work in
certain nonresidential construction trades. “Factory construction jobs
of today mean more manufacturing jobs down the road once those factories
come online,” she said.
Even before the tariffs, Howard Miller struggled as Americans lost their
taste for fancy timepieces such as its signature grandfather and mantel
clocks. So the company broadened its offerings years ago to include bar
carts, cabinets and consoles.
But those products also depended on glass and other parts from abroad,
and diversification did not ensure survival.
“I could still have a job, but now I don’t because of tariffs,”
Vandermeer said. “It was like taking a knife to the back.”
Job losses pile up in battleground states
Vandermeer lives in Michigan's 4th Congressional District, which is
represented by Republican Bill Huizenga, who is running for a ninth term
in the Nov. 3 election.
Before Trump implemented his broadest set of tariffs last year, on what
the president called “Liberation Day,” Huizenga was supportive.
“Is it going to be easy? Not necessarily. Is it the right thing to do?
Absolutely it is,” he told reporters at the time.
A spokesperson for Huizenga said last week that the congressman “sees a
potential role for tariffs” for boosting domestic manufacturing "while
recognizing the need to address their broader economic effects.” His
Democratic opponent, state Sen. Sean McCann, has criticized the
incumbent for opposing legislation that would rein in tariffs that Trump
imposed unilaterally.
There are similar issues in competitive races in Kansas, Iowa and Ohio,
where Republican acquiescence could hurt the party on Election Day as
their constituents face factory layoffs, farm foreclosures and higher
prices.
Tracy Chew, 55, voted for Trump in 2016, then for Democrat Joe Biden in
2020 and Democrat Kamala Harris in 2024.
She used to work for Case, a backhoe manufacturer, but the company
announced before the tariffs that it would close its plant in
Burlington, Iowa. She lost her job in April, as did her daughter,
followed by husband and son-in-law over the next few weeks.
Chew is leaning toward voting for Democrats again this year, feeling
that Trump let them down.
“I’m furious he isn’t doing enough," she said. “Tariffs are not
targeting the right companies, the right amount."
Layoffs in Iowa have piled up elsewhere.
Winnebago Industries, which produces recreational vehicles like campers,
cut 200 jobs last year after the cost of importing aluminum, steel and
electronics increased by tens of millions of dollars.
“It’s a day to day battle,” said Michael Happe, the company's chief
executive.
In the tight race for an open U.S. Senate seat in Iowa, U.S. Rep. Ashley
Hinson faces Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek. There is a close contest,
too, in Kansas, where Democrat Adam Hamilton, the pastor of the largest
United Methodist Church in the U.S., is trying to unseat Republican
Roger Marshall.
Cole Hoppock, chief executive of appliance maker Vornado Air in Wichita,
Kansas, said Trump's tariffs “impacted virtually everything.” The
company known for its retro household fans laid off more than 70 factory
workers in February, blaming higher prices for imported parts.
[to top of second column] |
Workers are seen in the manufacturing plant of Ideal Roofing in
Ottawa on Aug. 25, 2026. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP,
File)
 Trump's trade policy could force
cutbacks soon at another Kansas employer, Canadian jet manufacturer
Bombardier. Trump has threatened to ban the company's sales in the
U.S. if Bombardier does not start making all its planes in the U.S.
Bombardier said it buys parts from 2,800 companies in 47 states,
including in Kansas, where it employs more than 1,000 people
Trump's approach to trade is unpopular
Trump has spent years complaining that other countries are ripping
off the U.S. when it comes to trade. Most economists say he is wrong
and that his remedy — broad universal tariffs — would cause more
pain than help.
Now most Americans disagree with Trump's approach, according to The
Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. A
September poll showed only about 3 in 10 U.S. adults approve of
Trump's handling of trade negotiations, compared with 4 in 10 in
March.
Some of Trump's tariffs have been haphazard.
He targeted Brazil because of political differences and he jacked up
tariffs on China to levels so extreme that they risked a recession
and forced the president to retreat. The Supreme Court in February
ruled against Trump's declaration of an emergency to roll out his
“Liberation Day” tariffs last year, leaving foreign trade unsettled
as the administration continues to adjust with new levies and
threats.
Tariffs are far from the only reason for the lost of manufacturing
jobs, and factories have cut workers for decades with or without
them. Even some Republicans who dislike Trump's approach will not
split with the party.
Bicycle Corp. of America, which closed its factory in South Carolina
last year, blamed rising prices for imported parts. Koby Bird, who
retired after working in quality control, likes tariffs but was
frustrated by Trump's habit of raising and lowering them seemingly
at whim.
“It was all over the place,” Bird said. “Businesses couldn't plan.”
Next month, Bird is likely to stick with Republicans, including U.S.
Sen. Darline Graham, because tariffs are only one issue and he
believes Democrats would spend too much money on the wrong things.
Ernie Goss, an economist at Creighton University in Nebraska, said
manufacturing woes may not convert to Democratic victories. He said
some people may “think the tariffs in the long run will work.”
Some workers may be turning on Trump
Wendell Young, a union leader in Pennsylvania, where several
factories have had layoffs, said he senses a backlash among workers.
Last summer, Young said he got a firestorm of angry responses to his
email blaming tariffs for a decision by Post Holdings to cut 160
jobs at a local pet food factory.
“Keep politics out of this," wrote one of workers at the plant in
Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. "President Trump isn’t the reason.”
“People used to beat me up for not supporting Trump. I haven’t heard
that in a year," said Young, president of Local 1776 of the United
Food and Commercial Workers International Union. “Some of these
people are red Republicans and they are shocked. They expected more
jobs."
Post Holdings ultimately agreed to reduce the head count by offering
severance for people to leave, but lower production had a ripple
effect.
Local can manufacturer Trivium Packaging decided to cut several jobs
because they were getting less orders from Post and other companies,
according to Young's union.
“I understand the mindset behind tariffs, but I just don't know if
it's working," said former Trivium worker Heather Kingston. She left
for another company before the layoffs, and her husband is still
working at Trivium. “There doesn’t seem to be many manufacturing
jobs moving into the area,” she said.
Kingston said she voted for Republican Dan Meuser in the 9th
District last time but is having doubts this year. Meuser's seat is
considered safe, but other races in the state are up for grabs,
including in the 7th and 8th districts, which are near the Post and
Trivium factories.
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