A Home-Ground Advantage, Or a Fleeting Fancy?
The big question, of course, is whether this is a genuine, lasting shift or just a temporary boost that will vanish with the next election cycle. History is littered with examples of both. But for now, the advantage seems quite real for certain companies.
Take a giant like General Motors. With its sprawling manufacturing footprint across the United States, it doesn’t have to worry about its trucks getting stuck at the border with a massive tax bill attached. The same goes for PACCAR, whose Kenworth and Peterbilt lorries are already rolling off domestic production lines. They can watch their foreign rivals grapple with new costs, whilst they carry on as usual. Even in the world of furniture, a company like Leggett & Platt, which makes many of its components stateside, could find itself in a surprisingly strong position as imported sofas and tables suddenly get more expensive.