Donald Trump’s latest promise to revive North Carolina’s once-mighty furniture industry has locals rolling their eyes. In a Truth Social post, the former president announced he would impose “substantial tariffs on any country that does not make its furniture in the United States,” claiming it would restore jobs and industry to the Tar Heel State.
But for many on r/NorthCarolina, the announcement was another of Trump’s throwaway comments that come off as tone deaf and absurd.
“This is about 30 years too late,” one commenter wrote, pointing out that most of the state’s factory infrastructure is “non-existent or dilapidated.” Others noted that the workforce itself has long since scattered, with skilled craftsmen retiring, retraining, or leaving the state altogether.
A recurring theme in the discussion was that Trump’s proposal ignores decades of economic reality. One user captured the sentiment bluntly: “Thomasville NC is a graveyard of broken-down defunct factories. Unless he pumps in millions for repairs, it won’t do anything.”
Several locals reminisced about the hollowing out of the industry. A former Barcalounger employee from Rocky Mount recalled how their parents were forced into early retirement when the factory shuttered. Another remembered when Burlington Industries employed half their hometown… until it didn’t.
Even those who believe in the value of American-made goods were skeptical that tariffs could deliver. “We literally don’t have the machinery anymore,” one commenter noted. “Capitalists sold it all to China decades ago. The industry doesn’t exist to restart.”
Others aimed the economic sleight of hand behind tariffs. “What a weird way to phrase ‘tax hike,’” one Redditor quipped, adding that consumers, not foreign countries, end up footing the bill through higher prices.
The broader consensus was that Trump’s plan, if enacted, wouldn’t rebuild jobs in Hickory, Thomasville, or Rocky Mount but would simply make imported furniture more expensive, while failing to bring back the industry locals once knew.
As one user put it, “You’d literally have to outright ban foreign furniture to make a meaningful difference.” Even then, many argued, automation and lack of workforce would mean any new factories would employ a fraction of the workers who once powered North Carolina’s economy.
For a state that still hosts the world-renowned High Point Furniture Market, Trump’s promise felt bizarrely out of touch to vocal bunch of North Carolinians.
