Trump Promises More Coal Jobs, Delivers Trade War Instead

The article examines the contradiction between former President Trump's promises to revive coal jobs and the negative impact of his trade policies, particularly tariffs, on the coal industry. While Trump aimed to boost domestic coal consumption by supporting aging coal power plants, mechanization and productivity improvements have continued to reduce coal employment. More critically, the tariff war initiated under Trump, especially with China, has harmed the export market for metallurgical (met) coal, which is essential for the global steel industry. Since U.S. met coal consumption has been declining for decades, exports—especially to China, the second-largest market after India—are vital. However, retaliatory Chinese tariffs of up to 25% on U.S. met coal caused exports to China to drop nearly 19% in early 2025, undermining U.S. producers and creating market uncertainty. This trade conflict has had particularly severe consequences for coal-dependent regions like West Virginia, the top U.S. met coal producer, accounting for nearly half of national production