The Numbers Are Back. So Is the Fight for the American Worker.

March’s job growth offers a boost for Trump — but will tariffs fuel revival or risk a backlash?

The March job numbers are in, and they tell a story the mainstream press would rather whisper than headline: the American economy is stirring again under Donald Trump.

According to early estimates, the U.S. added 155,000 jobs last month. That figure—while not eye-popping—marks a steady upward climb in sectors long written off by the Davos set and the coastal elite. Manufacturing alone added 21,000 jobs, with notable gains in professional services and finance. In total, over 95,000 new positions landed in industries that pay well and build careers, not just gigs.

To Trump’s base, this is no accident. It’s vindication.

Supporters point to policies carried forward from his first term: tax cuts, deregulation, and an aggressive trade posture that puts American workers first. And just this week, the White House doubled down with the announcement of sweeping tariffs — 25% on Canada and Mexico, 10% on China — under what the administration calls the “Liberation Day” agenda. The timing is no coincidence.

For years, economists and pundits scoffed at Trump’s economic nationalism. They said tariffs would backfire, that manufacturing was gone for good, that global supply chains were the future. Yet here we are — five years after COVID’s devastation, and American industry is not just surviving. It’s hiring.

The job growth in professional and business services — +57,000 last month — also suggests a ripple effect. Business confidence appears to be returning. Financial activities added 38,000 jobs, a sign that capital is moving, investment is happening, and companies are betting on domestic growth.

Of course, there are caution flags. This data, for one, is preliminary. Official BLS numbers won’t be confirmed until April 4. Economists from Wall Street to Brussels warn that Trump’s new tariffs could push inflation back above 3.5% by 2026 and knock half a point off GDP growth. And the debt—ballooned by extended tax cuts and rising entitlement costs—sits at $36 trillion and climbing.

Consumer sentiment, too, remains mixed. Americans are working, yes — but they're wary. Surveys from the Conference Board and University of Michigan suggest lingering unease about inflation, interest rates, and geopolitical instability. For every factory re-opening in Michigan, there's a shopper in Florida paying more for groceries, appliances, and clothing.

And while 155,000 jobs in a single month is a respectable figure, it's not without precedent. During the post-COVID rebound, monthly job gains under President Biden often exceeded 200,000. By late 2023 into early 2024, the numbers began to normalize closer to 150K–200K monthly, reflecting a cooling but still expanding labor market. Trump's critics argue that what we’re seeing now is a modest uptick — not a resurgence.

Still, the context matters. Under Trump’s first term, the economy added over 7 million jobs before the pandemic hit. Unemployment fell to a 50-year low. Manufacturing grew for the first time in decades. Then came COVID, and much of that progress evaporated. But Trump didn’t walk away. He pushed for re-shoring, cut red tape, and now — in a second term many said would never happen — he’s back to finish the job.

What we’re witnessing may be the early stage of a new experiment in American economic policy: one that rejects managed decline and dares to rebuild. The question is whether the gains will last — or whether the costs will outpace the returns.

For now, the numbers are moving in Trump’s direction. But the fight for the American worker is far from over.