Layoffs, Farms Bankrupt, LGBTQ+ Brands Struggle

By: Paul Goldberg, Senior Editor | JRL CHARTS – LGBT Politics Economic Times

Trump Voters Caught in the Economic Storm

WASHINGTON, D.C. — (August 28, 2025) — Across YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, thousands of Americans are posting videos documenting what mainstream media ignores: grocery store prices spiking, layoff emails hitting inboxes, and family farms closing at historic rates.

Many of those speaking out are Trump voters themselves — now admitting regret and betrayal as the promises of “economic revival” collide with stark reality.

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Layoffs by the Thousands

Entire industries are being gutted. Workers report receiving layoff notices by email, sometimes with entire departments dismissed in a single day.

“I feel betrayed… this is not what I wanted — to let everybody lose their job,” one former federal worker told Business Insider¹.

The Washington Post has confirmed that consumer confidence has dropped to a 15-month low, with unemployment and underemployment climbing near 8 percent². Economists warn of stagflation — stagnant growth mixed with inflation and layoffs.

Farmers File Bankruptcy in Record Numbers

Beyond layoffs, the agricultural sector is reeling. Since Trump took office in January 2025, 173 small farms across the United States — including dozens in Montana — have filed for bankruptcy.

Farmers blame tariff-driven disruptions and collapsing export markets. Long-time agricultural families say their operations can no longer withstand the double blow of shrinking subsidies and soaring costs.

Grocery Aisles Show the Pain

On TikTok and Instagram, Americans film shelves to show basic goods spiraling out of reach — milk at $8, bread at $6, eggs doubled. These videos have gone viral, directly contradicting rosy economic narratives on cable networks.

The LGBTQ+ Business Squeeze

The crisis also extends to LGBTQ+-owned businesses, many of which operate on thin margins and face systemic barriers in financing. Tariff hikes on imported goods have hit queer-owned brands especially hard:

Portland-based queer apparel company Wildfang faced a sudden $178,000 cost increase on a single shipment.
Canadian queer-owned brand Grrrl Spells halted U.S. shipments entirely on August 19 due to “absurdly high” tariffs that will begin art August 29.

Tariffs disproportionately hurt smaller and diverse businesses that lack complex supply chains. LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs also face limited access to capital, anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination abroad, and recruitment challenges in states passing anti-trans laws.

The result? A perfect storm of financial pressure + systemic barriers just as consumer demand for authentic queer-owned brands is growing.

Alternate Reality vs. Lived Reality

While Republican leaders insist the pain is “temporary,” voters are documenting the opposite. The alternate reality of political spin cannot compete with the lived reality of layoffs, farm bankruptcies, grocery inflation, and struggling small businesses.

The Coming Shock of 2026

When Republicans face massive electoral losses in 2026, pundits will feign surprise. But the warning signs have been flashing all along — not on cable news, but in the voices of real Americans broadcasting their pain across social media.

Footnotes / Sources

Business Insider – Federal workers who voted Trump regret layoffs (March 2025).
Washington Post – Trump says brief pain is worth gain. Will Americans agree? (March 2025).

The Guardian – Why Trump voters have no regrets? (April 2025).

Stay tuned to JRL CHARTS LGBT Politics – Economic Times for unfiltered coverage of the real economic story Americans are living — not the alternate reality spun on cable news.

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