Americans losing faith in Trump’s economy as company abandons $55B plan for Michigan
A California-based chip manufacturer pulled its plans to build a $55 billion facility in Genesee County at a time when fewer Americans trust President Donald Trump’s economic policies.
SanDisk for the past two years had eyed Mundy Township as the home of a new factory that could have created up to 10,000 jobs in the area. State officials, however, announced Wednesday, July 16, that the company would not move forward with the project due to rising national economic uncertainty and concerns about potential federal policy shifts, including Trump’s tariffs.
The company’s change in plans coincides with a recent Associated Press poll that found only about a quarter of Americans feel Trump’s policies have helped them, and less than half approved of the president’s economic performance.
“He’s turned us into a toilet and has absolutely made us the laughing stock of the world,” Timothy Dwyer, 26, of Dyersburg, Tennessee, told the AP. Dwyer considers himself independent but leans conservative.
Following the passage of Trump’s budget bill, most respondents feel the president is an effective leader, but that doesn’t mean they believe he understands their problems.
“I think he’s doing quite well. He could be doing a hell of a lot worse,” said Levi Fischer, of Marshalltown, Iowa, while admitting Trump’s policies, “don’t make much difference in my life.”
Inflation rose last month to its highest level since February as Trump’s sweeping tariffs push up the cost of everything from groceries and clothes to furniture and appliances, according to the Associated Press.
Separately, Trump’s budget bill included Medicaid cuts that will lead to 11.8 million more Americans becoming uninsured and add $3.3 trillion to the national debt, the Congressional Budget Office estimated.
The SanDisk project in Mundy Township was expected to be among the largest economic investments in Michigan’s history, with the state allocating $250 million to prepare the site as part of its broader push to attract high-tech manufacturing jobs to the region.
While SanDisk’s plans for the site may have collapsed, state and economic development officials said they will continue to pitch the site in hopes of finding another company.
“While we are disappointed by this announcement, we remain 100% committed to attracting an advanced manufacturer to Genesee County and our top-notch team will continue our work to bring a project to Michigan,” Tyler Rossmaessler of the Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance said. “The Advanced Manufacturing District of Genesee County is the best site in North America for an advanced manufacturer to locate, and we will continue our important work together to attract a job-creating project that will benefit our region and the entire state for generations to come.”
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