Summary
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick admitted on CBS’s Face the Nation that US workers won’t reclaim traditional manufacturing jobs under Trump’s tariff-heavy strategy.
While promising “trillions” in new investment, he confirmed that new factories would be automated. Lutnick touted support roles like mechanics and HVAC technicians instead.
Critics cite the tariff policy inconsistency and rising consumer costs.
Market reactions have been severe, with steep losses and fears of trade wars as China and others prepare retaliatory tariffs.
There is a very specific type of American subset that is in love with that fantasy. Real, honest, hard, labor, subservient and reliable. It gives some people purpose, value, even hope. Even for those who did not experience it firsthand, there is a tangible sense of loss for that type of American experience.
Like religion, labor can function as meaning when life appears too complex for deeper understanding.