Trump-backed donor's Ohio factory shuts, undermining revival claims
A plant owned by a major Trump supporter in Eastlake, Ohio closed at the end of June, highlighting the gap between promised manufacturing revival and reality.
The Conn Selmer plant in Eastlake, Ohio, a subsidiary of Steinway Musical Instruments acquired in 2013, closed its doors at the end of June, ending operations in a building that had stood for 61 years. The facility’s remaining 150 employees were laid off, with many positions previously shifted to China. The factory was owned by John Paulsen, a billionaire hedge-fund manager who supported Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign and lauded the president’s tariff policies as protection for U.S. jobs.
Despite Trump’s repeated assertions of a manufacturing resurgence, the sector has shed about 75,000 jobs during his second term, a decline many attribute to the erratic implementation of tariffs. The plant’s shutdown underscores the disparity between political rhetoric and the actual state of American manufacturing. Analysts note that the closure reflects broader challenges in reviving domestic production under current trade policies.
Why it matters
The closure shows the difficulty of delivering on political promises of a manufacturing comeback.
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