The ‘Trump effect’ is a bust for working class

President Donald Trump returned to the White House with a signature promise: to be a “champion for the American worker” and launch a “golden age” for domestic manufacturing.

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By the end of year one of his second term, Trump's rhetoric hasn't matched economic reality. As working-class families increasingly struggle to make ends meet, it has become clear that a year of tariffs, union-busting and weakening the federal government has made it harder for Americans to deal with the rising costs of electricity, food and housing, according to the Tribune News Service.

While the administration touts job creation figures, the manufacturers have been steadily cutting jobs. In April 2025, Trump announced “Liberation Day” with his sweeping tariffs that he claimed would bring jobs and factories “roaring back into our country.” Instead, from April to December, the United States lost 72,000 net manufacturing jobs.

American manufacturers are struggling to meet rising costs, while workers compete with one another for fewer decent jobs.

Meantime, real wage growth for the working class has slowed significantly. From January through September 2025, wage growth fell by 0.5 percentage points for those with a high school education or less, and for those with associate degrees, it dropped by 0.7 percentage points.