The US has lost factory jobs amid promises of a tariff-led renaissance
Workers at Whirlpool, the US’s largest appliance manufacturer and a champion of Donald Trump’s tariff policies, are criticizing the company for cutting jobs at an Iowa plant while bolstering production in Mexico.
The job cuts at Whirlpool come as the company has continued to support the Trump administration’s trade policies and claimed they will help bolster US manufacturing. Trump’s trade policies appear to have done little for US manufacturing so far. The US has lost 83,000 factory jobs since Trump took office in January 2025.
Continue reading...Why This Matters
The US manufacturing sector's struggles have taken a hit with Whirlpool's decision to cut jobs at an Iowa plant, despite the company's support for Trump's tariff policies. This move raises questions about the effectiveness of the administration's trade policies in boosting domestic production. As the US continues to lose factory jobs, the impact of these policies on the economy is under scrutiny.
In Week 9 2026, Business accounted for 102 related article(s), with UK Politics setting the broader headline context. Coverage of Business decreased by 12 article(s) versus the prior week, but remained material in the weekly agenda.
Coverage Snapshot
Week 9 2026 included 102 Business article(s). Leading outlets for this topic included CNBC, NY Times, Independent Business. Across that cluster, sentiment showed a mostly neutral skew (avg score -0.04).
Key Insights
Tone & Sentiment
The article tone is classified as negative, driven by the language and emphasis in the summary. The sentiment score of -0.29 indicates the strength of that tone.
Context
The trend of US companies offshoring jobs to Mexico and other countries has been a recurring theme in recent years, with media outlets like the Guardian and Reuters highlighting the issue. The loss of 83,000 factory jobs since Trump took office has sparked concerns about the administration's trade policies, with some critics arguing that tariffs have done little to stimulate domestic manufacturing. While Whirlpool has praised Trump's tariffs, the company's decision to cut jobs in Iowa suggests that the benefits of these policies may not be as clear-cut as initially thought.
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Key Takeaway
In short, this article underscores key movement in Business and explains why it matters now.