US Manufacturing Jobs Flatline Under Trump After Biden-Era Recovery Gains
"There was some genuine manufacturing employment improvement and for the first time in a long time. Coming out of a recession normally what happens in these drops is that the manufacturing employment never comes back and so this time it came back and it actually recovered beyond where it was during the COVID crash. Now you can see the rate here under the Trump administration where it's just completely flatlined, it's fallen off."
About this episode
Breaking Points hosts Krystal Ball, Saagar Enjeti, Ryan Grim, and Emily Jashinsky recorded a pre-July 4th episode examining deteriorating economic conditions under the Trump administration. The show led with disappointing June jobs data showing only 57,000 jobs added versus 115,000 expected, with previous months revised downward by 74,000 jobs. The hosts presented economic data contradicting Trump's campaign promises, including flatlined manufacturing employment after Biden-era recovery, declining wage growth relative to inflation, and continued job losses in male-coded industries Trump promised to revitalize. The episode featured analysis of rising barbecue costs driven by tariff policy and the Iran war, with the hosts noting wage growth is being outpaced by inflation for the first time in the administration. A striking segment covered a safety incident at DC's 250th anniversary fair where stage equipment crashed near performers who continued dancing, which the hosts attributed to non-union labor practices. The tech sector received particular focus, with data showing 49,000 job losses over the past year, worse than 2008 or 2020 recessions, which hosts attributed to AI displacement particularly in coding positions. The show also previewed interviews with congressional candidate Will Lawrence and Naomi Dann, who was removed from the Committee to Protect Journalists board amid disputes over redefining journalist classifications in Gaza casualty counts. Throughout, hosts emphasized how Trump corruption stories may resonate more politically now that economic pain is directly attributable to administration policy rather than external factors like COVID.
Key takeaways
- June jobs report showed only 57,000 jobs added versus 115,000 expected, with previous two months revised downward by combined 74,000 jobs
- US tech sector employment down 49,000 over past year, worse than 2008 or 2020 recessions, with AI-driven coding job displacement cited as primary cause
- Manufacturing employment flatlined under Trump after recovering during Biden administration for first time in decades, contradicting campaign promises
- Wage growth being outpaced by inflation with real wages down 3% since January 2021 and up less than 1% since Trump inauguration
- Stage equipment crashed near performers at DC 250th anniversary fair who continued performing, hosts blamed non-union labor safety violations
- Working mothers with children under five increasingly forced out of workforce due to return-to-office mandates combined with spiking childcare costs
- Naomi Dann scheduled to discuss removal from Committee to Protect Journalists board amid dispute over redefining journalist classifications for Gaza casualties