Ohio truck factory lays off 1,400 workers just three days before Trump's midterm rally in the area

From the Newshound archive · first published 4 October 2026.

Nearly 1,400 workers at the Navistar truck factory in southwestern Ohio were laid off on Wednesday, wiping out roughly a year's worth of job growth in the greater Dayton area in a single blow. Kyle Bos, 30, a United Auto Workers member who voted for Trump three times, says he will now canvas for Democrats before November's midterm elections. The layoffs land just as Trump prepares to rally in Montgomery County on Saturday for struggling Republican candidates, including Senator Jon Husted and gubernatorial hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy.

Bos said grocery prices have surged so sharply that five items now cost what a full cart used to — and he has a third child due in January.

Ohio voters cite inflation, the Iran war and a president they feel is indifferent to their struggles as reasons for their disillusionment.

Former Trump voter Kelly Savage-Radich, a mother of three facing the prospect of selling a family vehicle over fuel costs, said: 'I think he's a disaster.'