By John Clore | Investigative Journalist | 3/29/2025 at 12:03 PM
As Michigan faces scrutiny over a recent uptick in its unemployment rate, the mainstream media is once again doing what it does best: distorting data to push a political narrative. One such example is Craig Mauger’s article in The Detroit News, which attempts to pin the blame for Michigan’s economic woes squarely on President Trump and his administration’s newly announced 25% auto tariffs. But a deeper dive into the data reveals a much different—and more nuanced—truth.
What’s Really Behind the Numbers?
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Michigan’s unemployment rate rose from 4.0% in February 2024 to 5.4% in February 2025. Mauger calls this the “largest increase in the nation.” However, this number is inflated when both public and private sector job losses are lumped together—misleading readers into thinking that Trump’s policies are the primary culprit.
In fact, data from the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget reveals that the largest job losses occurred in private sector industries: manufacturing, healthcare, and hospitality. Manufacturing alone lost 11,000 jobs over the past year, primarily due to automation, restructuring, and global supply chain shifts that predate the Trump administration’s return.
Public vs. Private: A Convenient Blending of Data
By failing to differentiate between public and private sector losses, the media obscures the truth. Public sector employment remained relatively flat, while private sector volatility continues to drive most employment trends. This sleight of hand allows journalists like Mauger to push partisan blame without properly informing the public.
Media reports (like Craig Mauger’s from The Detroit News) combine public and private job figures to paint a more dramatic picture — inflating the impact while obscuring sector-specific trends.
Key Points:
Tariffs Are Not the Sole Cause: The unemployment increase began before Trump’s new tariffs, and various economic sectors (health, education, hospitality) are also contributing to job losses.
Private Sector Is More Volatile: Most job losses came from private industry, particularly automotive and manufacturing — which were already undergoing restructuring and automation changes.
Skewed Framing: The article misleadingly combines public and private sector stats to exaggerate blame on federal policy, specifically tariffs, without separating existing industrial trends.
Misleading Attribution: Trump had only been in office one month during this reporting period. Blaming his administration ignores multi-year trends and other economic variables like inflation and population migration.
Tariffs: An Easy Scapegoat
Trump’s 25% tariff on foreign vehicle imports have not even taken effect until April 2, 2025, yet Mauger blames it for job losses already underway months before its implementation. This is intellectually dishonest at best. Tariffs are designed to incentivize domestic manufacturing, not kill jobs. If anything, long-term effects could bring jobs back to Michigan—the automotive capital of the world.
Already, companies like Hyundai and Tesla are responding by expanding U.S.-based operations. Tariffs are pushing foreign companies to build and assemble in America. This is not a crisis; it’s an economic course correction.
Why It Matters
Michigan’s economic story is about more than just one policy or one president. It’s about long-term industrial decline, automation, a shrinking population, and poor leadership at the state level. While media outlets blame Washington, they conveniently ignore Michigan’s failure to foster an attractive economic environment for businesses and workers alike.
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Conclusion: Fear Over Facts
The media is not merely reporting the news—they’re crafting a narrative. By combining unrelated statistics, ignoring broader economic factors, and scapegoating federal policies, they’re weaponizing fear for political gain. Michigan deserves better reporting and better leadership.
Instead of manufacturing outrage, we should be manufacturing opportunity. Trump’s tariffs aim to do just that by restoring American jobs and bringing economic power back to Detroit and beyond.
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