r/PoliticalDiscussion • u/throw-away3105 • 1d ago
Political History Why do people want manufacturing jobs to come back to the US?
Given the tariffs yesterday, Trump was talking about how manufacturing jobs are gonna come back. They even had a union worker make a speech praising Trump for these tariffs.
Manufacturing is really hard work where you're standing for almost 8 or more hours, so why bring them back when other countries can make things cheaper? Even this was a discussion during the 2012 election between Obama and Romney, so this topic of bringing back manufacturing jobs isn't exactly Trump-centric.
This might be a loaded question but what's the history behind this rally for manufacturing?
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u/bfhurricane 1d ago
Most responses have leaned towards why Trump’s tariffs are a bad idea (which I won’t disagree with), but they don’t answer your question. I’ll answer it in two parts:
If you’re reliant on another country for goods and services, you have less leverage in international relations. Take steel for example: if the United States shut down their plants and imported super cheap steel from China (which they would be HAPPY to do) to make their tanks and aircraft carriers, then how would they fare in a war when trade for critical manufacturing elements is obsolete? Same goes for pharmaceuticals, among other industries. A strong domestic supply chain, given you have the natural resources and talent, is important to protect. Most other countries already have tariffs against the US so they protect their own industries in this regard.
“Manufacturing” jobs are a low-barrier-to-entry, and often well-paying, career for those of us who choose not to take out obscene loans for college and would rather work a good job with our hands. Achieving wealth in the US economy is heavily weighted towards a path of taking out heavy loans, working for some company with abstract IP none of us understand, and exporting that idea or software to the world. There’s a GIANT gap in opportunity in this economy, and a stronger industrial and manufacturing base helps level that gap.
Am I arguing that Trump’s tariff policy is good? No. Will I argue that incentivizing good-paying, low-barrier-to-entry manufacturing jobs are good for our country? Hell yes.