Ohio Truck Plant Cuts Nearly 1,400 Jobs Days Before Trump Rally, Igniting Local Economic Anger

• The layoffs came just three days before Donald Trump’s rally in the area, underscoring economic frustration among local residents.
• Former employees are pursuing new employment, as Canadian armored‑vehicle maker Roshel intends to reopen the facility and expand the workforce.

Updated 6 min 20 sec ago

October 4, 2026 05:43

DAYTON, Ohio — Kyle Bos sipped tea from a beer mug with coworkers as he described how his life has shifted. Bos, 30, has two daughters and expects a third child in January. At the grocery store, five items now cost as much as a full cart once did. On Wednesday, Bos and roughly 1,400 others lost their jobs at the former Navistar truck factory in southwestern Ohio.

The mass layoff — occurring just three days before Trump’s rally on Saturday at a nearby high school — erased roughly a year’s worth of job growth in the greater Dayton area. Bos, a United Auto Workers member who identifies as a centrist, said the experience has driven him to canvass for Democrats in the final weeks before the November election.

“I voted for Trump three times,” Bos said, holding up three tattooed fingers, but added, “I’m done with the president. Something has to change politically in this country.”

Trump is campaigning in the region on Saturday, part of a 32‑day rally schedule aimed at convincing voters that the economy is improving. “All over the country, they’re building factories, plants, manufacturing’s coming back,” Trump said Thursday. “The only thing we’re doing badly at is public relations.”

Local voters, however, are increasingly concerned about inflation and the war in Iran. The Dayton area, once a hub of manufacturing, has shed about half of its 90,000 factory jobs since 1990, a decline linked to NAFTA and trade with China.

The upcoming Ohio race could influence Senate control. Republican Senator Jon Husted faces former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown, who is trying to capitalize on voter discontent in his bid to return to office.

Roshel, a Canadian manufacturer of armored vehicles, has announced plans to purchase the plant and rehire laid‑off workers within six to twelve months, aiming to more than double the workforce over the coming years. “We are working with everyone involved not only to protect the current workforce, but to more than double it over the coming years through a phased process,” the company said.

Among those affected is Marianne Donnelly, who operated a forklift at the factory. “We weren’t getting a lot of overtime because of the economy,” she said. “There just wasn’t any to be had, very little to be had.”

The economic hardship was felt beyond the plant. Morgan Hughes and JoJo Burkhard, canvassing voters in Kettering on the Monday before the layoffs, said inflation made it easier to persuade union members and retirees to consider Democratic candidates. “Even if they don’t want to stay Democratic long term, they’ll at least give the candidates a chance this election, which could be a turning point for us,” Burkhard said.

After a morning of door‑to‑door outreach, the pair stopped at a Chinese restaurant. While Burkhard opened a fortune cookie and read, “You’ll find your inner strength to overcome challenges,” tears welled up. The layoffs meant lost work for her, her boyfriend, and her mother, adding a personal weight to the political fight ahead.

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