"This is a fucking disaster": Generational Republican family loses 95-year-old mill to Trump's tariff mess

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

https://wtfdetective.blog/95-year-gop-mill-collapses-trump-tariff-chaos/

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 operation down entirely.

____<

“When I say Liberation Day, I cannot put enough snark and sarcasm in my voice because we weren’t liberated,” Wilson said. The mill has been “mothballed,” but the 50 workers who depended on it were laid off. His frustration is plain: “Liberation Day… it did, at the time, it had damn near liberated me from our business. And in essence, it has. I’m bitter about that.”



On July 1, Wilson and his brother Stephen officially closed Mackeys Ferry. The breaking point, they say, was President Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs.


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.

[lapfog_1]

1. I watched it yesterday

and, at the end, at least one of the family said they would vote for Trump again instead of the alternative ( Kamala would have been sooo f'ing bad in their mind ).

[Orrex]

2. About half of all Trump voters say they'd vote for him again, despite it all

And the other half would vote for him again but won't admit it.

[sop]

38. And they will all happily vote "R" again.

[Maru Kitteh]

64. That means about half of them would NOT. That's a huge number of people.

There’s at least some hope in that.

[Hugin]

3. Well, at least they could have gibbered about the laugh at work in the mill...

Rather than sitting around in the dark on a starvation vacation without health care alone. Things happen.

[Bread and Circuses]

5. We know these people. They will always vote for hate and lies

[Ray Bruns]

16. But it's not a cult.

[Emile]

22. Who's dumber? The fool, or the fools who voted for him?

[UpInArms]

54. There is still a sign

on a farm south of me

“impeached, convicted, shot and still standing strong”

I fly my middle finger at it every time I drive by

[Sparkly]

71. Sign to go next to that sign

"Fooled by a con artist, tricked by a liar, taken by a crook, and still advertising it."

[KS Toronado]

37. And 10 years after he's been proven to be a nefarious Pedophile

we will not find anybody who will admit to voting for him.

[Cha]

82. Got it... rather be racist, misogynist than

save their business. No fixing that kind of Buning Stupid.

[Raven123]

4. Basically already drank the Kool Aid. This is the result

[LR3]

46. And, at least one of them will happily drink it again

There is no fixing stupid

[3catwoman3]

6. "Explanatives"?

[DFW]

9. It's actually correct.

In the Nambian dialect of Republicanese, it’s grammatically correct.

The English translation would be “expletives.”

We can’t gloat too much, though. Even on DU, there are still people who use an apostrophe to form a plural, and who still say “for you and I.”

[NJCher]

26. English teacher purrs

And turns into a furry meatloaf at this post. 😽

[DFW]

29. I hope I didn't pour on too much tomato sauce..... n/t

[FSogol]

28. "and who still say "for you and I." C'mon, we all know it should be "us'ns"

[DFW]

31. As a Southerner myself

I know that as a viable alternative, but them Yankees don’t all know that, never having ventured beyond the borders of Connecticut, and all…..

[FSogol]

44. We come from Pittsburgh, but settled in Northern VA. We always used Yinz growing up.

[DFW]

57. My family used Ipana as their favorite brand

I never heard of Yinz. Was that an anti-cavity brand?

[FSogol]

73. Yinz is the contraction of "You ones"

[3catwoman3]

74. " Even on DU, there are still people who use an apostrophe...

...to form a plural, and who still say “for you and I.”

Word/grammar/spelling nerd that I am, I'm happy to say that I am not guilty of any of those sins.

I have a pretty big vocabulary, and explanative is new to me.

[jfz9580m]

80. Explanatives!

Language isn’t static! It changes and evolves 😤.

🤭

[Ars Longa]

7. At least, they don't have to hear "Her Laugh"

[lostnfound]

8. Another one who couldn't care less about anyone but himself

all those other people suffering — children of immigrants losing their parents, people losing health care; Venezuelans in boats getting blown up without any judge, jury, evidence or conviction of any crime; Hispanic citizens being profiled and detained; hungry poor not getting SNAP to feed their kids; government employees being laid off in large numbers; parents of disabled kids seeing their support systems erased

That’s off the top of my head in a couple of minutes.
How many groups can this selfish bozo name?
Just himself, probably.

[UpInArms]

56. It's only about when they personally suffer

It’s never when anyone else suffers

They are shallow, narcissistic, greedy and stupid

[Iris]

10. If something feels "disgusting" and you keep doing it, some self-examination is in order

I guess he'll have time for that now.

[johnnyfins]

11. I feel for his employees, but fuck him and his

Mill. It's like they are smacking themselves in the head with a hammer and are now complaining about the headache.

[durablend]

12. Got what they voted for!

IDK why they're so angry.

[mwmisses4289]

33. It's not hurting the right people.

[Puppyjive]

13. Maybe they will change their minds....,

After standing in the food bank line.

[durablend]

43. Nope.

Last edited Wed Nov 19, 2025, 09:39 AM - Edit history (1)

They'll roil against those "other people" ("takers" ) in the food bank line and vote even harder for Trump next time.

[GopherGal]

77. And pick themselves up by the bootstraps

and convert that mill over to production of phony gold trim to suit his idol's preferences*


* I was going to use the word "taste" but that doesn't seem to apply at all when referring to the Fanta Menace...

[PJMcK]

14. Voted for Trump

Got screwed.

What a surprise!

I’m sorry but I don’t have any sympathy for the people in these stories. Trump, in many ways, has always been transparent. He told us what he would do but too many people like these ignored the important things to focus on the hate and bigotry.

Ye shall reap what you sow, suckers.

[cstanleytech]

15. They voted for Trump, not once, not twice.....but three times?

[LPBBEAR]

25. No sympathy....

for traitors.

2016
Ok. I could forgive them that first time. They were victims of a Con Artist. They made a mistake.

2020
After the record of his fuckups in the first term. After Covid incompetence. They voted for him a second time. Not forgivable.

2024
They voted for him a third time and this time was after his treason during January 6 2021.

They got what they voted for. I'm sure their 50 laid off employees appreciate their choice. Maybe Trump will invite them to the new Ballroom as compensation.

[mwmisses4289]

34. Since it's North Carolina, their employees probably also voted for trump.

[Javaman]

17. the leopards are feasting. nt

[Ray Bruns]

18. All Wilson and Stephen need is another tax cut for billionaires and corporations.

[Botany]

19. And our friend the leopard says, "burp."

I feel bad for the workers but as per the brothers, FAFO. They no doubt have money and will be O.K..



Republicans own the media and so millions of Americans get fed the lie that the economy does better
under Republicans.

[Emile]

20. File bankruptcy like Trump does.

[JT45242]

21. Regrets trade, not the racist attacks on brown people

Face meet leopard...whomp whomp.

[malaise]

23. They voted for him

I don’t give a flying fugg about their loss.

[OldBaldy1701E]

32. As long as the historical aspects of the location are honored, I agree.

They voted for it.

They got it.

Now, they don't want it because they are the ones being affected.

[DFW]

24. I have both pity and disdain for these people.

I get no personal satisfaction from seeing fifty-plus working class people being tossed out onto the sidewalk with no greater financial reserves than whatever spare change passers-by are willing to toss their way.

However, no one needed a PhD in Economics or Political Science to understand that what Trump was offering before the election is what he delivered after the election. The laid-off workers can’t say, “we didn’t know,” because Trump told them what was coming if they voted for him and he won. Both their pre-election slogan and their post-election slogan was, “well, Harris would have been worse.” They hang on to this despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. If the Biden years were so absolutely awful, OK, they should please elaborate how. Fox may have told them so, but they had jobs, a roof over their head and enough to eat. They now have none of the above, but things are better now? I hope their local Fox Noise affiliate has a soup kitchen and a hostel to offer them, because the help that probably would have been coming from a Harris-Walz administration will not show. For that matter, had there been a Harris-Walz administration, their jobs never would have been in peril in the first place.

So, sure, they can have my pity, but not my sympathy. Why not? Here’s why: had I been one of those suddenly tossed out onto the street due to changes ordered by Trump, they would not only have no sympathy for me (good Christians that they are), they would tell me that my misery was God’s will, and that I should just accept his judgment. I offer the same comfort. Try voting for the other party next time. If Fox and Frauds says not to, check to see how many of THEM are living under bridges, and make your own conclusions.

[mwb970]

27. It's hard to feel sympathy for this guy.

He voted against his own interests, and now he is losing his business. We warned MAGA this would happen, many tmes. They said we had Trump Derangement Syndrome. Now this guy, and millions of others, has had his life ruined by trump. I say "tough noogies." He did this to us all.

[niyad]

50. ONE of his family's businesses.

[WOLFMAN87]

30. Leopards eating faces

Who knew?

[Pototan]

35. I love these stories

FAFO

[NNadir]

36. All these FAFO stories ease the extreme pain of this American tragedy a bit.

They don't make the pain go away, but they ameliorate it a bit.

[Autumn]

39. Well damn. Doesn't that just suck for you. Makes me happy you got what you voted for.

Now quit your whining and go get a job.

[Swede]

40. Tska tska!

[Blues Heron]

41. How did these otherwise intelligent good old boys fall for the biggest city slicker of them all?

[Aviation Pro]

42. You dumbasses got exactly what you voted for

Find the fuck out.

[Abstractartist]

45. And I simply say...

🖕🏻 you and everyone who voted for your demise. I DON’T FUCKING CARE IF YOUR LIFE IS IN SHAMBLES.

Hey racist republican base who voted for a pedofile scum bucket, look in the mirror assholes, you voted for a fat, slobbery shistain of a non human pedofile instead of a black woman who is way smarter than you and dump will ever be. Congratulations on your soon to be Bankruptcy court appearance. Oh and again.. FUCK YOU

[Conjuay]

47. You would think 6 bankruptcies would

make other entrepreneurs question if the guy has any business acumen at all.
It takes an incredible amount of mismanagement to bankrupt a casino, ( or so I am told.)

[dedl67]

48. This story is so so sad that it makes me want to burst into .................. laughter.

[niyad]

49. Did anybody else notice that the mill is just one of the family businesses?

[durablend]

51. More stuff to go bankrupt in the future!

[ProfessorGAC]

75. Yep, I Noticed That

So, with the place shuttered the only impact on them is a bit less post-tax net income.
More than slightly different than those 50 people who no longer have their job.

[Deep State Witch]

52. God, Guns, and Abortion

Yep. They voted Republican because of God, guns, and abortion. They thought that Trump cared about people like them. If only someone had warned them....

[UpInArms]

53. Awwww

Stupid people do stupid things ..

[GaYellowDawg]

55. Finding out is never easy.

I just hope that these people begin to recognize that it's not just Trump that's a disaster. It's the entire damn Republican Party's policies.

[durablend]

62. Nope

They'll keep voting for them and it until they're in the ground.

[kacekwl]

58. Poor Mr. Wilson is totally

responsible for his demise. Fool him once shame on you, fool him three times loose your business. Some folks have to get hit by a truck before they realize they are playing in traffic.

[Johnny2X2X]

59. I truly hate these people

They are what's wrong with America. Because they cheer when others are hurt and still fail to see how wrong they were even as it ruins them. They want sympathy without giving a shit of all the other lives their votes ruined.

[durablend]

63. And you know they're even angrier

When we just laugh at them

"WELL WHY DON'T YOU LIBS HELP US?!?!?!?!?!?"

[Wednesdays]

60. They're in the "FO" phase

...of FAFO.

[Coventina]

61. If it weren't for the workers, I'd LOL!!!

You got exactly what you voted for, you morans!!!!!

[dsp3000]

65. hahahahahaha

[ck4829]

66. Womp womp

[yardwork]

67. What the hell, stupid?

How many times did we warn you that this would happen?

And what do you still think "President Trump is trying to do?"

[0rganism]

68. The yard is starting to fill up with overfed leopards

Where did they come from? They weren't here last year...

[Takket]

69. Too bad fuck face! Hope you learned a life lesson

[Mysterian]

70. These people and millions more have been brainwashed by Fox "News" etc.

They will never change until they are taught critical thinking and provided with truthful reporting of national affairs. There will be no truthful reporting of national affairs as long as the mass media is monopolized by billionaires.

https://www.freepress.net/who-owns-media

[MagickMuffin]

72. A comment from the article: 2 Mills got $1.4M in covid relief...

Ya’ll got $1.4M in covid relief…
Recipient
MACKEYS FERRY SAWMILL INC.
Location
Roper, NC
Loan Status
Forgiven as of Aug. 13, 2021
Loan Amount
$425,000
Date Approved
April 16, 2021
&
Recipient
JW JONES LUMBER COMPANY, INC.
Location
ELIZABETH CITY, NC
Loan Status
Forgiven as of Dec. 28, 2020
Loan Amount
$1,002,700
Date Approved
April 9, 2020

He also noted he was the only choice on the ballot. Well keep bending over for your royal screwing.

[dem4decades]

76. "shut down one of his family businesses"¿ hopefully he has other businesses to lose.

[RockRaven]

78. Congratulations on getting the "fucking disaster" you voted for (repeatedly)!

[Bluestocking]

79. I don't think it's a disaster

It’s karma.

[Norrrm]

81. Congratulations! You got what you wanted - Trump in the WH.

Are you better off than you were one year ago?
Congratulations! You got what you wanted - Trump in the WH.

Now. pull up those bootstraps.

[B.See]

83. When asked whether they had voted for Trump, both brothers admitted they had--Wilson, all three times.

File under, FUCKED AROUND AND FOUND OUT.

"Fool me once, shame on you, fool me THREE FKN TIMES...???"

[Glass City]

84. It's lack of knowing who Trump is

Most of these folks know Trump only from his stint on Celebrity Apprentice. They have no idea of his backstory about what kind of a POS he really is.

Case in point: my wife's best friend and her step-sister she grew up with are both Trump supporters. They're both great people. I adore them. They are caring, loving individuals, and this absolutely has me perplexed. When her bestie and her husband came in town to visit, we had a small chat about The Donald. She told me we needed a businessman as president. Although it was fair comment, I told her 'but not THIS businessman'. We all got a laugh out of it.

After giving her reasons why he's been known as a POS throughout the decades, I told her that's not a very good example of leadership to pass along to our children. She really didn't say anything to say after that. She has 3 of them.

[Cherrycheeks]

85. They would vote for him again...

They sound like they are empathy for Trump and they would vote for any other crazy republicon.