CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — President Donald Trump promised on the campaign trail to restore America’s manufacturing industry. And while the state of Ohio has seen some promising results of that effort, some of the president’s own voters argue it is not enough to balance out the cost-of-living crisis that is roiling the country.

The Buckeye State is up more than 13,000 manufacturing jobs since January 2025, the month Trump kicked off his second term, according to the St. Louis Federal Reserve. It is a marked contrast to the national manufacturing job numbers, which have seen a decline of about 21,000 jobs during the same period.

It’s coming back, it’s coming up,”

—Ann Davis

“It’s coming back, it’s coming up,” said Ann Davis, a three-time Trump voter and manufacturing worker from Chillicothe, speaking of manufacturing jobs in the state.

Trump did a pretty good job on getting at least the promise started, getting the ball rolling,”

—Michael Lante

Trump “did a pretty good job on getting at least the promise started, getting the ball rolling,” said Michael Lante, a three-time Trump voter from Bainbridge, who works at a toilet paper factory.

I’ve worked in manufacturing pretty much all my life, and he’s getting that. He’s getting that done,”

—Mark Metzger

“I’ve worked in manufacturing pretty much all my life, and he’s getting that. He’s getting that done,” said Mark Metzger, a lifelong Democrat from Chillicothe who voted for Trump in 2024.

But many of these Trump voters do not believe the new job opportunities provide enough to contend with economic strains brought on by the war with Iran.

CNBC reported in September that inflation has been outpacing wage growth since April. “A substantial number of Americans are worse off, their incomes are not keeping up with the price increases right now,” Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, told the outlet.

We need more jobs. We need more opportunities,”

—Hannah Hall

“We need more jobs. We need more opportunities,” said Hannah Hall, 24, who has not been able to land a factory gig in her hometown of Springfield. The single mother currently works delivering groceries instead.

“I feel like with the jobs that most of us have, you’re not really living that great. Like, you’re just barely getting by. It’s like living paycheck to paycheck,” said Hall. “I have kids, and I worry about what’s going to happen to them when I get old. And I just know it’s only going to get worse and worse and more unaffordable.”

Hall voted for Trump in 2024, a decision she now deeply regrets. Asked what advice she might give her former self, she said, “Don’t vote for Trump. I would probably do a lot more research, rather than just going off what I’m hearing, like word of mouth, because that’s what I did. I just listened to the people that were around me, and I voted based off that instead of my own instinct.”

Springfield, where Hall lives, recently suffered a blow contrary to the general trend of the manufacturing sector in Ohio. International Motors laid off more than 1,000 workers from its factory last week. The plant was recently purchased by Roshel, a Canadian defense manufacturer, which said in a statement that it plans to hire back workers and potentially to double the local workforce over time, though the exact timetable remains unclear.

The topsy-turvy nature of Springfield’s job market echoes that of Chillicothe, an hour and a half south. There, the Pixelle paper factory laid off about 800 workers in 2025. This month, Pixelle announced plans to rehire a portion of the workforce, and there has been discussion of turning part of the plant into a data center — but such centers are a contentious topic in Ohio’s current political landscape.

“I mean, it’ll bring a few construction jobs for a while, but then what do you need people for?” questioned Michael Humphrey, a three-time Trump voter from Chillicothe.

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