Trump’s tariffs sort U.S. manufacturers into winners and losers

President Trump’s expanded tariffs are protecting some U.S. manufacturers while raising costs and uncertainty for many others, the New York Times reported on Jan. 29, 2026. A year into his second term, the policies have produced a mixed outcome for the factory sector. Overall factory employment has fallen by 68,000 jobs over the past year and remains at just 8 percent of the work force, even as production is slightly up and spending on factory construction, though down from the end of the Biden administration, is still near record highs.

Bradley Saunders of Capital Economics said the tariffs “create this patchwork effect” with many unintended consequences. Some companies have benefited. Drew Greenblatt of Marlin Steel praised the protections and said the company has bought new, costly equipment and plans to hire more workers: “You don’t buy expensive things if you’re not going to hire a lot of talent.

We’re a microcosm of that,” he said. The steel industry has seen gains after tariffs on foreign steel were raised from 25 percent to 50 percent, and Cleveland-Cliffs chief Lourenco Goncalves called the measures “absolutely necessary and overdue.” But many manufacturers that rely on imported parts and materials say they have been hurt.

Lou DeCuzzi of DRR USA said retaliatory tariffs and changing duties “just crushed it, just completely eliminated sales outside the U.S.

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