There’s a widespread, outdated, lazy narrative that American manufacturing is falling apart. You’ve seen it—gritty, black-and-white photos of abandoned factories, flickering memories of some bygone industrial era, often captioned with phrases like “Rust Belt” or “deindustrialization.”
It’s wrong. And worse, it’s holding us back.
Yes, the American industrial core was exposed to the full force of global competition. Yes, this led to the collapse of companies and even entire industries that were not able to withstand the pressure of global competition.
But instead of falling apart, the US industrial base that made it through and is active today is made up of firms big and small who adapted and emerged stronger. We didn’t just survive globalization — we learned to win at it. That’s the part of the story that rarely gets told – the industrial core that remains in America is technologically advanced and globally competitive in the markets we serve.
It’s time to stop pining for the industries we lost. Making toasters and t-shirts at scale isn’t what’s going to win the future. The focus now should be on what is working—and scaling that up with real investment, smart policy, and a fundamental shift on how we think about manufacturing as a society.
Here’s what we need next, from someone on the front lines of global manufacturing:
- Double down on what’s working. Stop throwing money at old ideas that only thrive behind tariff walls. Invest in the winners—firms that have proven they can compete globally without hiding behind protectionism.
- Clear, reliable demand signals. US manufacturers can meet any challenge if there’s enough stability to plan for it. But we can’t invest in strategic capacity or react to tariffs if we don’t even know what the rules are. Uncertainty kills momentum.
- Real backing from government. That means more than tax credits. It means purchase orders, grants, and real skin in the game from the USG to build capacity in the industries that matter—semiconductors, steel, material refining, advanced electronics, and precision components.
- A new narrative about manufacturing. Calling the industrial Midwest the “Rust Belt” is more than lazy—it’s harmful. It tells young people this isn’t a place to build a career. A recent stat I saw on X said that 80% of Americans believe the country would be better off with more people working in manufacturing. But only 25% think they personally would be better off working in a factory. That’s a massive gap—and it’s one we need to close fast. We are creating jobs and building careers that young people will want - but we need to get the right message out there about the future of manufacturing in this country.
The U.S. manufacturing base is dynamic, adaptable, and capable of leading the world. But we need to stop looking backward. The real question isn’t how we revive the past—it’s how we build the future, with the significant tools and world-class talent we already have.
Let’s start acting like we belong at the front of the global industrial race. Because we do.
