EVELETH, Minn. – When the Elks Lodge sits atop the Steelworkers’ union hall, bingo night tariff talk is bound to have a bent.
“I’m just glad they’re doing it to try to equal the playing field,” said Bill McKenzie as he finished a game. “Give our steel workers an even playing field.”
President Trump’s planned 25 percent steel tariff may be controversial in some circles, but not on Minnesota’s Iron Range.
“Mining is our life up here,” said Barb Hilde, the manager of the second story Elks Lodge.
Traditionally Democratic strongholds, several Iron Range communities flipped their support in the last election to candidate Trump and his tough-on-trade talk.
“We’ve got an advocate in the White House. He said he’d have our backs and he’s fulfilling his promises for us,” said Eveleth Mayor Robert Vlaisavljevich.
The once loyal Democrat now displays a Trump sticker on his city hall desk. He points to empty storefronts and gaps between buildings in Eveleth’s downtown, the result, the mayor said, of bad trade deals and government-subsidized foreign steel dumped on the US market.
“My issue is mining, whoever’s going to support mining, I’m on your team,” Vlaisavljevich said.
But trade wars also have casualties and Minnesota’s farmers could be hit hard if foreign governments enact tariffs on U.S. farm exports.
Vlaisavljevich doesn’t think it will come to that.
“I think they’re going to negotiate something else. Just like any other deal, you always start at the high end. It brings people to the table,” Eveleth’s mayor said.
Back at bingo night, retired miner Louis Wirre listened to the bingo call. He didn’t vote for Trump, but can’t argue with his tariffs.
“I didn’t support some of the stuff he did, but this is OK though,” Wirre said.