President Trump is bringing jobs and billions of dollars in new investment to some of the nation’s bluest states, delivering an economic windfall to Democratic strongholds whose political leaders have spent years battling his agenda.
In California, New York, Illinois and other Democratic-controlled states, companies are pouring money into factories, technology centers and other projects, creating opportunities for workers in places where Mr. Trump remains deeply unpopular.
Since Mr. Trump returned to office, roughly $670 billion in announced or completed investments have gone to the 19 states that voted for Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024, of which 17 currently have a Democratic governor, according to a Washington Times review of data provided by the White House, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and National Association of Manufacturers.
People were interested in these podcasts
That number does not include the $1 trillion in new investment on projects in both red and blue states. Those projects include a $500 billion investment by Apple that will create jobs in California, Oregon, Texas and Kentucky, among other states. Roche announced a $50 billion investment in the U.S. to establish research centers in nine states, including California, Massachusetts, Indiana and North Carolina.
The $670 billion in blue-state investment has created or is expected to create more than 400,000 direct jobs and nearly 1 million indirect jobs. In fact, the numbers are likely much higher because some companies did not include job figures in their public announcements.
The National Association of Manufacturers’ data found that 2.4 million manufacturing jobs were saved in those 19 states because of the tax incentives in Mr. Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed on July 4, 2025.
President Biden attracted $1 trillion in private investment across all 50 states during his four years in office, according to data released by his administration in November 2024. In his first 18 months, about $220 billion in new projects were announced.
The numbers were released as both parties fight over the economy ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections and as the White House tries to show that its tariff, tax and reshoring policies are producing results beyond its political base.
“Governors have very little to do with attracting investments of this size outside of offering a package of tax incentives,” said James Mohs, a professor emeritus in economics at the University of New Haven. “The overall economy is driven by the federal government, not the states. This is Trump’s thing. Look how much money he’s bringing in. Companies are avoiding tariffs, so they are investing here.”
Alex Jacquez, a Biden White House adviser on economic development and industrial strategy, said Mr. Trump is taking credit for some of the laws enacted under the Biden administration, especially the CHIPS and Science Act, which aimed to boost semiconductor development in the U.S.
“A lot of these investments, they’re ’but for,’” he said. “They would not have happened but for the CHIPS investment. Trump has held on to that tool and is using it in his own way, but he also told Republicans not to pass it and railed against it on the campaign trail.
“A lot of the chips investment [under Trump] are tied to that particular bill,” he said. “A lot of the chips investment [is] tied to that particular bill. And, of course, there’s kind of a gamesmanship. If you’re a CEO, your incentive is to tell whoever is in power at the time, this couldn’t have happened without them.”
Semiconductor manufacturing has been the centerpiece of Mr. Trump’s private investment agenda, totaling more than $286 billion in multiple deals across all 50 states. However, those deals have heavily benefited tech-heavy states such as California and Massachusetts.
The White House credits Mr. Trump’s tariffs, deregulation, tax policies and efforts to bring manufacturing back to American soil while encouraging companies to expand their domestic operations. Administration officials say the investments demonstrate that the president’s economic agenda extends far beyond the Republican states that supported him in the Electoral College.
“President Trump is a president for all Americans. Even blue states are reaping the benefits of the president’s pro-growth economic agenda, as unprecedented levels of investment pour into states across the country and create new, high-paying jobs,” said White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers.
Ms. Rogers noted many of the blue-state investments were spurred by the tax-cut package in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which every Democrat in the House opposed.
For Mr. Trump, the development presents an opportunity to showcase the reach of his economic program, particularly in states where Democratic leaders have warned that his policies could undermine their economies.
Ford O’Connell, a Republican strategist, said job creation should boost Republican candidates in blue states because they can attach themselves to economic progress while criticizing Democrats as having few solutions.
He said the dynamic is playing out with Senate candidate Michele Tafoya of Minnesota, Sen. Susan M. Collins of Maine and former Rep. Mike Rogers of Michigan holding strong in blue and blue-leaning states. In contrast, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is in the fight of his life in deep-red Texas despite being the Republican Senate nominee.
“When you can say we got 1 million private-sector jobs — anything helps,” he said.
Mr. Mohs said the investments can be tied to several administration policies, including tariffs aimed at bringing production back to American soil; accelerating the construction of data centers, semiconductor factories and the power plants needed to operate them; and supporting domestic energy production.
“A lot of this investment — the stuff we are getting from foreign countries; the stuff we are getting out of automakers — is tariff-related because they can’t avoid it,” he said. “At the same time, we have a technological revolution in this country that I think is going to create more jobs, at least in the short run, than some of these other investments that have been made.”
Although Mr. Trump’s tariff agenda has pressured businesses to boost domestic manufacturing, it has also increased costs for businesses and consumers.
For Democratic governors, the investments pose a different challenge: how to welcome new businesses and employment opportunities while continuing to oppose the president’s broader economic agenda.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, has gone further, appearing alongside Mr. Trump in April 2025 to announce a new fighter mission at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, thereby avoiding downsizing and saving jobs. Ms. Whitmer did not credit Mr. Trump but said she was “grateful” for the announcement, adding, “I appreciate all the work.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has repeatedly battled Mr. Trump over his policies, issued a statement celebrating a $21 billion Japanese investment in two GlobalFoundries’ semiconductor factories in the Empire State, creating more than 1,000 highly skilled manufacturing jobs.
Ms. Hochul also did not credit Mr. Trump, but instead said the project was the result of President Biden’s law to boost U.S. semiconductor manufacturing, even though it stemmed from Mr. Trump’s trade pact with Japan.
In Maryland, Gov. Wes Moore did not attend an Oct. 6 event at the Sparrows Point Shipyard in the Baltimore area where Mr. Trump announced Anduril’s submarine component facility, a project expected to create 3,100 direct jobs and more than 11,000 indirect jobs. Mr. Moore, a Democrat, said he skipped the event because Mr. Trump blocked him from speaking, a claim the White House has denied.
Still, Mr. Moore backed the project, issuing a statement saying it could create “the most jobs in Maryland history,” without crediting Mr. Trump.
At the event, Chris Brose, Anduril’s president and chief strategy officer, said the project “never would have happened without the leadership of President Trump.”
California has been a center of Democratic opposition to Mr. Trump, with Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, repeatedly challenging administration policies on immigration, environmental regulation and federal spending.
Yet California has become a destination for private investment under Mr. Trump because of its position as a technology powerhouse and the administration’s push to expand artificial intelligence, semiconductor manufacturing, biotech and data infrastructure.
California is set to receive a significant share of U.S. investment from Apple, $500 billion; Roche, $50 billion; AstraZeneca, $50 billion; Novartis, $23 billion; and Gilead, $11 billion.
Data from the National Association of Manufacturers found that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act saved 708,000 jobs in California. Robinson Helicopter, based in Torrance, was among the companies that credited the bill with saving jobs.
Will Fulton, Robinson’s vice president of business development, said it accelerates the company’s “ability to innovate and increases the speed with which we can bring these property and lifesaving innovations to market.”
Illinois, which has battled Mr. Trump over the deployment of National Guard troops to Chicago and his tariff policy, is poised to receive $2.8 billion in investment.
Hyundai will spend $450 million on two manufacturing facilities, creating 2,500 full-time jobs; biopharma giant CSL announced a $1.5 billion investment to expand its manufacturing plant; GE Aerospace will spend $9 million on manufacturing in Illinois; AbbVie is to spend $195 million on a manufacturing plant in North Chicago, and DMG MORI will spend $40.5 million in its Chicago manufacturing facility, creating 74 jobs.
In addition, Stellantis announced a $600 million investment to reopen an assembly plant in Illinois, creating 3,300 jobs.
Illinois will also receive a share of investments across multiple states, including John Deere, $20 billion, and Abbott Laboratories, $500 million.
• Tom Howell Jr. contributed to this report.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.