In rural North Carolina, where support for Donald Trump used to be as strong as the wood in a hardwood beam, a long-time Republican family is watching their legacy from over 150 years disappear — all because of Trump’s disastrous trade war.
Mackeys Ferry Sawmill, a 95-year-old hardwood mill owned by the Jones family for generations, is now completely shut down.
Not just slowed or paused — it’s gone. Fifty workers lost their jobs. A third of their business income vanished overnight. And according to co-owner Wilson Jones, the reason is clear: Trump’s tariffs destroyed their whole industry.
“One family member told Bloomberg, ‘This is a f*cking disaster,’ and that might be the understatement of the century.”
Here’s what happened: For many years, Mackeys Ferry relied on selling their wood to China and Vietnam as demand for premium hardwood in the U.S. went down.
By 2017, up to 80% of their product went overseas. Then Trump — with his usual “I alone can fix it” attitude — launched his so-called “Liberation Day” tariffs. China responded with duties as high as 125%, making it impossible to sell American hardwood in those countries.
Within weeks, the Jones brothers had to close the mill.
One shipment worth $500,000 was already on its way to China when Trump’s new tariffs hit — and the new duties were worth more than the wood itself.
That wasn’t smart economic policy.
That was a presidential wrecking ball.
And this wasn’t some fancy city company.
This was deep-red rural America, the people Trump claimed to stand for. Wilson Jones voted for Trump — three times. His brother did too. Now Wilson says the decision feels “disgusting.”
“When I say ‘Liberation Day,’ I can’t put enough snark in my voice,” he said.
“We weren’t liberated. It damn near liberated me from my business.”
By August, the mill was closed.
By September, the last load of lumber came off the line. Only ten of the fifty workers found jobs at the family’s other mill, which is still running. The community — already struggling — will feel the pain for a long time.
And for what?
A trade war that Trump promised would bring a manufacturing boom. Instead, America lost 42,000 manufacturing jobs in just a few months.
The Jones family says changing customer tastes didn’t ruin them — Trump did.
His reckless tariffs. His ignorance of rural economies. His willingness to bet other people’s livelihoods for political shows.
When asked what he’d tell Trump today, Wilson didn’t hesitate: “You’re on a fool’s mission.
You’re not helping a few. You’re hurting a lot.”
Rural America is finally realizing the truth: Trump’s “America First” always meant America Last.
For some families, the damage is already too deep to fix.
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