Workers Blame Tariffs for Layoffs, GOP Backlash

Workers in battleground states are blaming President Trump’s import tariffs for layoffs and factory closures, raising the prospect of political backlash against Republicans ahead of the midterms. Nelson Vandermeer, a longtime Republican who lost his product-design job when Michigan clockmaker Howard Miller closed its factory and laid off nearly 200 workers, says he plans to vote Democratic. The company had already faced declining demand for traditional clocks, but its products also relied on imported components, which workers say tariffs made more costly. Trump promised tariffs would revive U.S. manufacturing, yet the sector has fewer employees than when he returned to the White House in January 2025. The White House disputes claims that manufacturing is failing, pointing to higher output and factory construction that it says could lead to more manufacturing jobs.