Kamala Harris vs. Donald Trump: A Closer Look at Manufacturing Jobs

In a recent speech at The Economic Club of Pittsburgh, Vice President Kamala Harris made a bold claim: “Donald Trump was one of the biggest losers of manufacturing jobs while he was president.” She pointed to the closure of the Carrier plant in Indianapolis and the offshoring of jobs under Trump’s watch as evidence of his failure to deliver on one of his key campaign promises—to bring back American manufacturing jobs. Harris’s remarks raise an important question: How accurate is her claim, and how does Trump’s track record on manufacturing jobs compare to the Biden-Harris administration?

Manufacturing Job Losses Under Trump: A Closer Look

Kamala Harris is partially correct in stating that manufacturing jobs were lost under Trump’s presidency, but the full story is more nuanced. When Trump took office in January 2017, he vowed to revive American manufacturing and prevent offshoring. For the first three years of his administration, his policies, including tax cuts and trade tariffs, helped the U.S. manufacturing sector grow. Between 2017 and February 2020, the U.S. gained around 450,000 manufacturing jobs.

However, the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 changed the landscape dramatically. By April 2020, over 1.3 million manufacturing jobs were lost due to widespread economic shutdowns and supply chain disruptions. By the time Trump left office in January 2021, roughly 200,000 manufacturing jobs had not yet been recovered, which Harris highlighted in her speech.

Harris also referenced the Carrier plant in Indianapolis, where hundreds of jobs were offshored to Mexico despite Trump’s efforts to prevent the closure. Carrier became a symbol of Trump’s inability to fully deliver on his promise to stop offshoring. Despite tariffs and trade measures aimed at keeping jobs in the U.S., offshoring increased under Trump’s administration, largely due to economic globalization and corporate cost-cutting strategies.

Was Trump One of the “Biggest Losers” in Manufacturing Jobs?

To say Trump was the “biggest loser” of manufacturing jobs is partially misleading. While Trump did oversee significant manufacturing job losses during the pandemic, these losses were largely outside his control. Other presidents have also faced job losses during times of economic crisis, such as the Great Recession during Barack Obama’s first term. Trump’s administration did see some manufacturing job growth before the pandemic, but his inability to sustain these gains due to global economic factors, such as offshoring and the pandemic, left a mixed legacy.

The Biden-Harris Track Record on Manufacturing Jobs

In contrast, the Biden-Harris administration has overseen a strong recovery in manufacturing jobs. By mid-2022, the U.S. had fully recovered all of the manufacturing jobs lost during the pandemic. In fact, manufacturing employment has now surpassed pre-pandemic levels.

One reason for this rebound is the Biden administration’s focus on legislation designed to boost American manufacturing, especially in technology and green energy sectors. The CHIPS and Science Act has provided incentives for semiconductor manufacturing in the U.S., while the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act has focused on rebuilding American infrastructure with an emphasis on American-made materials. These policies have encouraged the creation of new manufacturing jobs, especially in advanced industries like electric vehicles and clean energy.

According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. manufacturing sector added 400,000 jobs by late 2022, indicating a clear shift toward revitalizing domestic production under the Biden-Harris administration.

“We’re finally seeing a return of manufacturing jobs,” said Chad Moutray, chief economist at the National Association of Manufacturers. “Policies focused on reshoring and expanding high-tech sectors are beginning to bear fruit” source.

The Role of Automation and Globalization

It’s also important to consider the role of automation and globalization in the decline of manufacturing jobs in recent decades. While both Trump and Biden have advocated for bringing manufacturing back to the U.S., the long-term trend has been influenced by factors outside the control of any single president. Automation, in particular, has reduced the number of traditional manufacturing jobs, even as production levels have increased. Globalization has also made it easier for companies to offshore production to countries with lower labor costs, a challenge that persists today.

Conclusion: How Valid is Kamala Harris’s Claim?

Kamala Harris’s claim that Donald Trump was one of the biggest losers of manufacturing jobs is partly accurate, but the context matters. Trump’s administration did add jobs in the first three years, but the pandemic and continued offshoring hurt his ability to sustain those gains. However, Harris’s statement focuses heavily on the negatives, omitting the context of the pandemic, which played a significant role in manufacturing job losses.

The Biden-Harris administration, on the other hand, has seen a significant recovery in manufacturing, fueled by policy initiatives aimed at boosting American production in key industries. Their focus on domestic manufacturing has led to job growth that surpasses pre-pandemic levels.

While no administration has fully solved the issue of offshoring or automation, the U.S. is seeing a resurgence in manufacturing jobs under Biden, suggesting that these sectors may be poised for further growth in the years ahead.