For years, Mackeys Ferry Sawmill in North Carolina depended on overseas buyers in China and Vietnam after domestic demand for premium hardwood declined. But when President Donald Trump launched his escalating trade war, the mill’s owners say the damage was immediate and ultimately irreversible. By July—just months after Trump declared his “Liberation Day” tariffs—they made the decision to shut the…
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    Asked what he would tell the president if Trump stood in his sawmill, Wilson didn’t hide his frustration.

    “I’d like to say, What the heck? Actually, I’d like to say about nine different explanatives,” he said. “But… President Trump, gee, I understand what you’re trying to do, but you’re on a fool’s mission. And you’re not helping out a few. You’re hurting a lot.”

    The White House declined to comment on the closure.

    When asked whether they had voted for Trump, both brothers admitted they had—Wilson, all three times. He said the decision felt “disgusting,” and he regrets supporting Trump’s trade agenda, which he now sees as directly responsible for shutting down one of his family’s businesses.

    . . . Wilson expressed deep regret about parts of his vote. “There are some things I regret about voting for President Trump? Yes, a hundred percent. Trade policy is one of them… I wish it hadn’t have turned out that way.” Even so, he said given the choices on the ballot, he still would have voted for Trump—reflecting a dilemma felt by many in rural America.