President Donald J. Trump’s decisive trade policies are igniting a resurgence in American manufacturing — earning fervent support from family-owned businesses and others nationwide who have suffered from decades of unfair trade practices. From steel forges to moldmakers, their voices echo a powerful truth: these policies aren’t just protecting jobs — they’re reviving the heart of American industry.
Here’s what they’re saying:
Walker Forge, a third-generation family-owned business in Clintonville, Wisconsin, manufactures forgings out of steel for a variety of industries, including the defense industry.
- Will Walker (President): “This is the first time in generations that we have a President who puts American manufacturing first. That’s what these tariffs do — put America first. The tariffs send a clear message that companies cannot undercut our U.S. industrial base anymore.”
Franchino Mold & Engineering, based in Lansing, Michigan, designs, engineers, builds, maintains, and repairs plastic injection molds.
- Mike Hetherington (President): “I represent Franchino Mold & Engineering, and we are proud to be celebrating 70 years as a U.S. moldmaker this year. I find it extremely unfair that I can buy a complete injection mold from China for less than it costs me to purchase the raw materials to build it here in the United States. We are held to a high standard for labor, safety, quality, and environmental standards, which we proudly meet while competing against companies in China that don’t play by the same rules. They benefit from heavy government subsidies, lax labor standards, and artificially low prices that make it impossible for U.S. moldmakers to compete with China on price. Tariffs help level the playing field for U.S. moldmakers and force companies to look to U.S. moldmakers to supply them with products that meet their cost, quality and delivery needs. We are not asking for protection — we are asking for fairness!”
ELLWOOD, a 115-year-old family-owned business in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, manufactures quality metals and custom engineered components for the world’s most demanding applications ranging from our nation’s defense to aerospace.
- Ben Huffman (President and CEO): “ELLWOOD supports President Trump’s efforts to reshape the global trading system to a fair system. The current unbalanced system puts U.S. manufacturing at a significant disadvantage. Unfair, country-subsidized trading practices that are occurring all over the globe continue to do significant harm to ELLWOOD and the historically damaging trade practices must be reversed.”
Dyersville Die Cast, based in Dyersville, Iowa, specializes in custom aluminum and zinc die cast manufacturing and secondary services, such as CNC machining and powder coat paint.
- Robert Willits (President): “I have been in my role for over 24 years — and during that time, I have witnessed many events that have convinced me that President Trump is 100% correct on tariffs. I fully support his fight to protect American manufacturers. God bless President Trump for keeping his promises.”
TK Mold & Engineering, Inc., based in Romeo, Michigan, builds prototype and production molds for the consumer goods and automotive industries.
- Tom Barr (President): “TK Mold & Engineering, Inc., is proud to be situated in the heart of America’s automotive sector. Thanks to recent tariff policies, we’re seeing a renewed interest in U.S.-based manufacturing. In just the past three days, we’ve received three requests for quotes specifically aimed at reshoring mold and molding production back to the United States. These tariffs are creating real opportunities for American businesses like ours by encouraging companies to bring work back home. We’re grateful for policies that support Main Street and help revitalize essential trades like moldmaking.”
Industrial Molds, Inc., a family-owned business in Rockford, Illinois, is a tool and die shop with 52 employees.
- Andy Peterson (CEO): “The implementation of tariffs has caused our customers to completely rethink their supply chains and source more work domestically. This has completely changed our forecast for the year to the better and we are looking to add more employees quickly.”
Legacy Precision Molds, Inc., based in Grandville, Michigan, specializes in the design and manufacturing of tight-tolerance plastic injection molds.
- Tyler VanRee (Vice President): “The recent tariffs have had a noticeable and positive impact on our business. We’ve seen a significant increase in quote activity, have been awarded new work, and are seeing growing interest from companies exploring reshoring opportunities. At their current levels, the tariffs are driving real momentum toward U.S.-based manufacturing. We appreciate the administration’s commitment to strengthening American industry and we encourage them to continue to explore long-term solutions to help strengthen and rebuild American manufacturing again.”
Campbell Press Repair, based in Lansing, Michigan, is a second-generation family business servicing the metal forging and stamping industries with repair, rebuilding work on heavy machinery, modernization, automation, and new equipment, with 28 highly-talented employees.
- Pete Campbell (President): “Who knew about the tariff imbalances before President Trump brought them to light? As a small businessman competing in a world market, these things matter.”
Westminster Tool, Inc., based in Plainfield, Connecticut, is a plastic injection mold manufacturer that specializes in complex medical and surgical devices.
- Hillary Thomas (Vice President): “The manufacturing tariffs imposed by President Trump and his administration have benefited our business, similar to the wide-scale tariff effort in 2018. Following the recent announcement, our quote requests rose 25% in one month. These tariffs, particularly against China and other international competitors, help level the global manufacturing playing field for the moldmaking industry. We strongly support and encourage maintaining international tariffs that promote manufacturing here in the country.”
Metallus, Inc., based in Canton, Ohio, is a leading U.S. manufacturer of high-performance specialty metals made from recycled scrap metal for the industrial, automotive, aerospace, and defense and energy markets.
- Michael S. Williams (President and CEO): “We support the enforcement and expansion of 232 tariffs on steel products, as they align with our long-standing commitment to fair trade and addressing market imbalances. As a domestic steel producer, we view tariffs as a victory for both Metallus and the broader American steel industry.”
Twin Cities Die Casting, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is a 106-year-old, employee-owned die casting company with three locations in the Midwest and 175 employees.
- Todd Olson (CEO): “Our industry — and our company, specifically — has been greatly impacted by the increase in foreign competition, much of it with unfair support of other countries, over the last ten years. While the U.S. die casting market has grown over that time period, the U.S. industry has shrunk and production in low-cost countries has grown immensely.”