02/23/2025

In Auto-centric Michigan, Proposed Tariffs Polarize a Community

If enacted, the tariffs would expose the region to a big hit

Michael Taylor, the mayor of Sterling Heights, Michigan, an auto-industry-dominated city north of Detroit, has had more conversations than he can count with nervous neighbors and alarmed industry leaders about President Donald Trump’s tariff plans, which Taylor sees as "the single-biggest threat to our local economy."

"We're still scrambling to figure out what it all means, and it's coming at a breakneck speed,” said Taylor, a lifelong Republican who voted against Trump in 2020 and 2024. "If those tariffs go into effect as promised, it would be devastating."

But James Benson, whose job at the Stellantis plant in Sterling Heights is his eighth auto industry job in 25 years, sees the tariffs as a chance to level the global playing field for him and other workers who have seen a parade of politicians unable to stop decades of contraction. A Trump supporter since 2020, Benson said he's willing to endure short-term turmoil for a president he thinks can stanch a steady drip of job losses.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Washington Post.