Trump Lies About Manufacturing Job Growth. The US Manufacturing Sector has Shed Over 108,000 Jobs and Continues to Shrink.

by Rod Williams, June 25, 2026- I watched Trump's 250 birthday bash event called State Fair yesterday. This was the event that was supposed to have a variety of musical acts from various genres. After the artist discovered they were to be used as props at a pro-Trump event, almost all dropped out, and Trump just unapologetically turned the event into another Trump rally.

His speech at that event was among the least offensive of his speeches. He didn't talk about crooked Hillary or the autopen or the stolen election or Arnold Palmer's penis. He mostly kept to the teleprompter. He did do his America-is-the-hottest-country, growth-like-no-one-has-ever-seen, the best-this, unheard-of-that, Make-America-Great-Again spiel. But grading on a curve, it wasn't that bad. One reason it was not so bad was that it was only about half an hour long and not two hours long. 

It did seem to me, however, that Trump was low-energy and the speech was just a streamlined version of what we have heard many times before. It was kind of like a rerun. Not being there in person, I don't know if there was enthusiasm and energy in the air, but media coverage of the event showed people leaving while he was still speaking, and it did not look like the frenzied adoring crowd of years past.  

In part of the speech, he talked about how the economy is booming. I thought that could not be true. It is my understanding that while the stock market is performing well, the Trump tariffs, the Iran war, and inflation have put a damper on the economy, and we are experiencing a slowing economy. I was particularly skeptical of his claim of manufacturing job growth in America. I stay informed and consume a lot of news from reliable sources, and I am under the strong impression that America is continuing to lose manufacturing jobs. In fact, we are. In 2025, America lost about 108,000 manufacturing jobs and the manufacturing sector continues to shed jobs in 2026.

I have not done a fact-check of that State Fair speech. I have reached the point where I just assume Trump lies all of the time, and that if he tells the truth, it is an accident. On my more charitable days, however, I think maybe when he says something untrue, he is not actually lying.  Sometimes I don't know if he is lying or if he really believes the crazy things he says. Maybe he really does believe the Haitians are eating the cats and the dogs. Maybe instead of lying, he really believes his own bullshit. Maybe he is not lying but is dilutional. I don't know, but I never assume what he says is the truth.

I have not fact-checked his State Fair speech, nor have I come across anyone else who has, but I have not looked that hard. I did come across a meme fact-checking a claim he made about manufacturing job growth in Pennsylvania. I fact-checked the meme pictured here, and the meme is correct about his claim of manufacturing growth in Pennsylvania. 

Below is what Bing Co-pilot says about his claim of manufacturing job growth in Pennsylvania. I have followed some of the links and looked at other sources and confirmed that the meme is accurate and the Bing Co-pilot is correct.

Pennsylvania has lost approximately 4,500 manufacturing jobs recently, while the U.S. manufacturing sector has shed over 100,000 jobs, reflecting ongoing structural changes in the industry.

Pennsylvania Manufacturing Job Losses

 According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Pennsylvania has lost about 4,500 manufacturing jobs in recent months, with a 12‑month change of roughly ‑1.6% in nonfarm manufacturing employment U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This reflects ongoing declines in the sector despite broader economic activity.

On a national scale, the BLS reports that U.S. manufacturing employment is down by about 108,000 jobs in 2025 www.progressivepolicy.org. This loss is part of a longer‑term trend: since 2000, the U.S. has shed over 4.5 million manufacturing jobs, even as manufacturing GDP has grown by about 45% due to increased productivity and automation wbooradio.com+1.

Key Drivers of the Decline

Automation and productivity gains: Modern manufacturing is leaner and less labor‑intensive, with fewer workers per unit of output wbooradio.com+1.

Sectoral shifts: Tech and printing manufacturing have been hit hardest, with over 750,000 computer/electronics jobs and 450,000 printing jobs lost since 2000 wbooradio.com+1.

Geographic patterns: The industrial Northeast, including Pennsylvania, has seen steeper declines than other regions, with some states losing over 40% of their manufacturing workforces wbooradio.com+1.

Economic and policy factors: While federal programs like CHIPS and tariffs aim to reverse some losses, reshoring efforts have not yet restored employment to pre‑2000 levels wbooradio.com+1.

Context for Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania’s manufacturing sector remains a significant part of its economy, but it faces headwinds from:

Global competition and offshoring trends.

Shifts toward high‑tech, capital‑intensive production.

Local economic diversification and competition from other industries.

In summary, Pennsylvania’s recent manufacturing job losses are part of a broader national trend, where automation, productivity gains, and sectoral changes have reduced labor demand in manufacturing, even as output continues to grow.

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