President Donald Trump and his GOP majorities in the House and Senate are riding on public approval in November, but few voters are sidling up with either of their economic messages. And recent lay-offs peppering the Trump-voting heartland don’t appear to be making Republicans’ argument any easier as the nation slides into the midterms.
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A Kearney company construction industry in Kansas City, Mo. Thursday morning that it will be laying off dozens of its employees — who will be going home for good just one month before voters head to the polls to deliver their verdict on Trump and incumbent Republicans’ economy.
“Cornerstone Building Brands, Inc. intends to implement a reduction in force at its Kearney, MO facility located at 303 W. Major St., Kearney, MO 64060,” company leaders told the Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development, citing a facility cut that will affect more than 60 employees.
“The reduction in force is expected to be permanent, and there will not be any bumping rights for the affected employees,” company leaders added. “All affected employees have been notified of their separation dates and that their separation from employment will be permanent. Affected employees are expected to be separated from employment on or around October 19, 2026.”
Jobs include technicians, fork lift operators, machine operators and various production people connected to the construction industry, the company said. None of the affected employees are represented by a union.
Cornerstone Building Brands manufactures residential and commercial exterior building solutions, according to the company’s website. But the construction industry has not fared well under Trump’s policies.
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Critics are blasting the president for misleading the public about the actual state of the American economy, which Trump claimed would see a manufacturing boom due to his tariffs.
“Since his re-election, we’ve lost 75,000 manufacturing jobs and $60 Billion in annual factory construction,” The Lincoln Project posted on X last month. “Over the same period, Biden had created 625,000.”
The Lincoln Project cited Department of Labor payroll figures proving manufacturing employment had fallen by 75,000 since Trump’s inauguration. Speaking with AlterNet earlier in July, one economist explained that Trump’s tariffs have in general created a climate of economic volatility.
“It’s about uncertainty,” Dr. Robert Shapiro, undersecretary of commerce for economic affairs in the administration of President Bill Clinton and principal economic adviser to Clinton’s 1992 campaign, told AlterNet. “Every investment is based on an assessment of the likely future demand for whatever you’re investing in, and how much it’s going to cost to produce it. So there are assumptions about labor costs, material costs and other input costs — and again, about demand.”
Assumptions for the economy, for the reminder of the Trump term, does not appear to be so sunny.
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