Fact-check · Sep 9, 2026 · Donald Trump
“Shipped our jobs to China”
TRUE
What the record shows
EPI estimates 3.7-3.82 million U.S. jobs lost to China trade deficit since 2001, with 2.8-2.89 million in manufacturing. BLS data shows 4.5 million total manufacturing jobs lost 2000-2024, driven by automation, trade, and offshoring combined.
Sources
- U.S. Job Loss to China Swells to 3.7 Million - Alliance for American Manufacturing
- Post PNTR: 3.8 million Jobs Lost Due to China | Coalition For A Prosperous America
- Growing China trade deficit cost 3.7 million American jobs between 2001 and 2018: Jobs lost in every U.S. state and congressional district
- China Trade, Outsourcing and Jobs: Growing U.S. trade deficit with China cost 3.2 million jobs between 2001 and 2013, with job losses in every state
- Did 'China Shock' Throw Millions of Americans Out of Work?
- Old jobs, new jobs: How the labor landscape has changed two decades after trade with China opened | Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
From: LIVE: RNC 2026 National Convention in Dallas Features President Trump on Day 1
Vote Unbiased checks what officials say against government data — BLS, BEA, Census, Treasury, the Fed — with sources cited. Every speaker, every party, same standard. See the data →