Bringing Jobs Back to America: The Cold, Hard Truth

Editor’s note: This story was originally published by Matt Alley, BlueCollarWriter Labor Media. Click here for information or contact Matt at matt@bluecollarwriter.com

‘I want those jobs to come back. I’ve spent my life around the people who made this country run — union miners, machinists, and welders. But the idea that one man, or one administration, can wave a wand and undo decades of globalization without massive national effort is a fool’s belief. And if someone’s selling you that dream, they’re not giving you a plan — they’re giving you cover while corporations keep doing what they’ve always done: chase profits offshore.’

There’s a lot of noise right now about “bringing jobs back to America,” especially from Trump and others trying to sell working people a dream that feels good — but doesn’t hold up to logic.

Let’s get something straight: I’d love to see American jobs return. I come from a union family. I know what manufacturing once meant to towns like mine. If someone had pushed a serious reshoring strategy right after NAFTA gutted our industrial base, even I might’ve supported that part of the agenda — even if it was Trump’s. But now? Decades later? What’s being sold to you is a fantasy with a huge price tag and no blueprint.

1. It’s Been 30 Years — We Don’t Have the Tools Anymore

We didn’t just lose jobs. We lost capacity. The factories were torn down. The tooling was scrapped or sold overseas. The parts and machinery we need to build factories now? Most of them are manufactured in countries like Germany, Japan, China, and South Korea.

So what happens when we try to rebuild?

• We pay import tariffs on those foreign-made machine parts Trump pretends we don’t need.
• We hire foreign engineers who still know how to install and run these systems — because many of the U.S. experts either retired or moved on.
• We then have to train a brand new workforce that hasn’t touched a lathe, run a CNC machine, or managed a large-scale assembly line in decades.
  
  That’s not patriotism. That’s re-importing the knowledge we offshored years ago — and paying a premium to do it.
  
  2. It’s a 10-Year Project — Not a Campaign Slogan
  
  Bringing back real manufacturing would require:
• At least 5–10 years of industrial planning and federal coordination.
• Billions in infrastructure: new power grids, water systems, and transportation to support heavy manufacturing.
• Union partnerships and apprenticeships to rebuild the skilled trades pipeline.
• And strong domestic supply chains — which we haven’t had since the 1980s.
  
  And that assumes we start now. Trump had four years and did almost none of this. If this reshoring effort were a real goal, we’d already see massive investments in trade schools, clean energy steel mills, and regional logistics hubs.
  
  3. American-Made Means American-Cost
  
  Want American-made goods again? Great. But are you ready for the price tag?
• TVs: from $200 to $700.
• Smartphones: from $1,000 to $2,000.
• Laptops, appliances, vehicles — all more expensive, because American wages, safety standards, and environmental laws cost more (as they should).

But no one on the campaign trail is saying that out loud. They’re selling a romanticized version of “Made in America” without admitting you’ll have to pay for it.

4. Trump’s Promises Were Empty — We Have the Receipts

Let’s not forget: Trump already had his shot. In 2016, he ran on bringing jobs back. But what actually happened?

• Manufacturing jobs still declined in key states like Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.
  
• Lordstown closed. Carrier downsized. Harley-Davidson moved jobs abroad.
• He gave tax breaks to big corporations with no requirement they keep jobs here.
• He started a trade war with China with no domestic plan to replace the lost imports or help struggling industries transition.

If Trump truly cared about manufacturing, he wouldn’t have spent his time tweeting about it — he would’ve rebuilt the pipeline. He would’ve funded vocational schools, modernized ports, partnered with labor, and forced real commitments from companies.

But that wasn’t the goal. The applause was.

5. Logic, Not Lies

I’ll say it again: I want those jobs to come back. I’ve spent my life around the people who made this country run — union miners, machinists, and welders. But the idea that one man, or one administration, can wave a wand and undo decades of globalization without massive national effort is a fool’s belief.

And if someone’s selling you that dream, they’re not giving you a plan — they’re giving you cover while corporations keep doing what they’ve always done: chase profits offshore.

We need real investment, real timelines, and real leadership. Not slogans. Not stunts. Not another round of empty promises that treat working Americans like campaign props.

And that’s the logic you can’t spin.

Matt Alley,
BlueCollarWriter Labor Media