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« Rust Belt » est un terme utilisé pour décrire la région industrielle du nord-est des États-Unis. Auparavant, cette région était dominée par l'industrie du charbon, la production d'acier et la fabrication. C'est grâce à sa proximité avec les Grands Lacs, les canaux et les rivières que la « ceinture de rouille » devient un centre industriel. En effet, cela permet aux entreprises d'avoir un accès à des matières premières et de pouvoir expédier leurs produits finis. Le fameux nom a été donné à la région à la fin du 18e siècle, lorsque le nombre d'emplois industriel a drastiquement baissé, ce qui a laissé de nombreuses usines abandonnées. Puis, à cause de cela, la région a fait face à une augmentation impressionnante de rouille. En bref, le « Rust Belt » c'est la désindustrialisation d'une région où se trouve le Wisconsin, le Michigan et la Pennsylvanie. Par ailleurs, certains électeurs du Michigan ne voteront pas pour les démocrates puisque certains sont Arabes et d'autres supportent simplement la cause palestinienne. Ces derniers trouvent que la politique de l'administration Biden est trop pro-Israël. En conséquence, ils menacent de retirer leur vote pour les démocrates.

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What Is the Rust Belt?

The Rust Belt is a colloquial term used to describe the geographic region stretching from New York through the Midwest that was once dominated by the coal industry, steel production, and manufacturing. The Rust Belt became an industrial hub due to its proximity to the Great Lakes, canals, and rivers, which allowed companies to access raw materials and ship out finished products.

The region received the name "Rust Belt" in the late 1970s, after a sharp decline in industrial work left many factories abandoned and desolate, causing increased rust from exposure to the elements. It is also referred to as the Manufacturing Belt and the Factory Belt.

Understanding the Rust Belt

The term "Rust Belt" is often used in a derogatory sense to describe parts of the country that have seen a typically drastic economic decline. The Rust Belt region represents the deindustrialization of an area, which is often accompanied by fewer high-paying jobs and high poverty rates. The result has been a change in the urban landscape as the local population moves to other areas of the country in search of work.

Although there is no definitive boundary, the states that are considered in the Rust Belt-at least partly-are:

Illinois

Indiana

Michigan

Missouri

New York-upstate and western regions

Ohio

Pennsylvania

West Virginia

Wisconsin

There are other states in the U.S. that have also experienced declines in manufacturing, such as in the Deep South, but they are not usually considered part of the Rust Belt. It often refers to specific, formerly prosperous manufacturing centers in Midwestern and Northeastern cities like Detroit; Toledo, Ohio; Pittsburgh; and Buffalo, N.Y.

The region was home to some of America's most prominent industries, such as steel production and automobile manufacturing. During its boom time, these Rust Belt cities produced heavy industrial materials and consumer products and developed storage and transportation systems to distribute them to the rest of the country. The region has experienced a sharp downturn in industrial activity from the increased cost of domestic labor, competition from overseas, technology advancements replacing workers, and the capital-intensive nature of manufacturing.

Poverty in the Rust Belt

Blue-collar jobs have increasingly moved overseas, forcing local governments to rethink the type of manufacturing businesses that can succeed in the area. While some cities managed to adopt new technologies, others still struggle with rising poverty levels and declining populations.

Below are poverty rates from the U.S. Census Bureau as of 2020, the most recent data available, for each of the Rust Belt states listed above, calculated as a two-year average from 2019 to 2020. For comparison, the poverty rate of the entire United States is 11.4%.

All of the Rust Belt states, except for New York and Ohio, have seen a decrease in poverty rates in the last four years.

History of the Rust Belt

Before being known as the Rust Belt, the area was generally known as the country's Factory, Steel, or Manufacturing Belt. This area, once a booming hub of economic activity, represented a great portion of U.S. industrial growth and development.

The natural resources that were found in the area-namely coal and iron ore-led to its prosperity, along with labor and ready access to transport by available waterways. This led to the rise in coal and steel plants, which later spawned the weapons, automotive, and auto parts industries. People seeking employment began moving to the area, which was dominated by the coal and steel industries, changing the overall landscape of the region.

There is no definitive boundary for the Rust Belt, but it generally includes the area from New York through the Midwest.

But that began to change from the 1950s to the 1970s. Many manufacturers were still using expensive and outdated equipment and machinery and were saddled with the high costs of domestic labor and materials. To compensate, a good portion of them began looking elsewhere for cheaper steel and labor-namely from foreign sources-which would ultimately lead to the collapse of the region.

Decline of the Rust Belt

Most research suggests that the Rust Belt started to falter in the late 1970s, but the decline may have started earlier, notably in the 1950s, when the region's dominant industries faced minimal competition.

Powerful labor unions in the automotive and steel manufacturing sectors ensured that labor competition stayed at a minimum. The area accounted for more than half of all manufacturing jobs in the country in 1950. As a result, many of the established companies had very little incentive to innovate or expand productivity as they operated like monopolies.

This came back to haunt the region when the U.S. opened trade overseas, resulting in a flood of imports, and shifted manufacturing production to the South.

From 1950 to 1980, the Rust Belt faced competitive pressure-domestically and overseas-and had to ratchet down wages and prices, as well as shutter many manufacturing jobs. This resulted in almost a two-thirds decline in employment share for the region.

This shows that competitive pressure in productivity and labor markets is important to incentivize firms to innovate. However, when those incentives are weak, it can drive resources to more prosperous regions of the country.

Detroit, one of the hardest-hit cities in the Rust Belt, had its population decline from a peak of 1,849,568 in 1950 to 632,464 in 2021.

The region's population also showed a rapid decline. What was once a hub for immigrants from the rest of the country and abroad led to an exodus of people out of the area, as jobs were no longer readily available. Thousands of well-paying blue-collar jobs were eliminated, forcing people to move away in search of employment and better living conditions.

Politics and the Rust Belt

The term "Rust Belt" is generally attributed to Walter Mondale, who referred to this part of the country in that way when he was the Democratic presidential candidate in 1984. Attacking then-President Ronald Reagan, Mondale claimed that his opponent's policies were ruining what he called the Rust Bowl. He was misquoted by the media as saying the Rust Belt, and the term stuck. Since then, the term has consistently been used to describe the area's economic decline.

The Rust Belt is still mostly dominated by older, non-college-educated white voters, which traditionally lean toward the Republican Party. However, many Rust Belt states have historically voted Democrat. In an unexpected turn of events in the 2016 election, Donald Trump was able to turn Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin red-states that had voted Democrat for a long time, and that Barack Obama won in 2012.

In the 2020 election, Joe Biden was able to flip back Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. However, there continues to be a population shift from the Rust Belt states toward the Sun Belt states, which would leave the Rust Belt states a Republican stronghold, due to the older, non-college-educated white voters.

The Democratic Party will have to focus on the Sun Belt states to counter the Republican gains in the Rust Belt states, as the Sun Belt states are adding more "diverse, white-collar, and urbanized voters."

COVID-19 and the Rust Belt

The COVID-19 pandemic hit the Rust Belt hard. White-collar workers throughout the country were able to work from home; however, this was not possible for most blue-collar workers. One study reported on 13 American cities that were particularly vulnerable to the twin crises of the pandemic and declines in mental health. Nine of these 13 cities were in the Rust Belt.

Furthermore, lack of business during the pandemic shuttered many factories in the Rust Belt, exasperating the already-dire situation. Many of the industries that were hit hard during the pandemic, such as timber, have large operations in Rust Belt states.

For example, in Wisconsin, job losses from March to July of 2020 due to the shuttering of manufacturing jobs amid the pandemic wiped out all the gains that the manufacturing sector experienced in the state since 2011.

According to Politico, the "region has been devastated by job losses amid pandemic-induced economic shutdowns, in some cases far outpacing the national average in terms of the proportion of their workforces that have applied for unemployment benefits since mid-March [2020]." In Pennsylvania, only a few months into the pandemic, 29.6% of the workforce filed for unemployment, the report added.

What are the Rust Belt states?

Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wisconsin are considered to be the Rust Belt states. These states were the manufacturing center of the United States, employing a large part of the population in manufacturing jobs. As manufacturing jobs started moving to the South and overseas, the area witnessed large-scale unemployment, decay, and decreases in population as people left to find employment elsewhere.

Why is it called the Midwest?

It is called the Midwest because of the location of those states in the 1800s before the U.S. expanded to the Pacific Coast. These states were part of the Northwest Ordinance. This term became obsolete once the U.S. expanded westward, resulting in these states becoming the Midwest.

What is the Steel Belt?

The Steel Belt is one of the former nicknames of the Rust Belt before the region fell into decline. The area was one of the largest steel-producing regions of the country, being home to U.S. Steel, which at one point produced more than 60% of the steel in the country.

What is the Sun Belt?

The Sun Belt is a region of the U.S. that extends from the Southeast all the way across to the Southwest. It begins in southern Virginia, going down to Florida, and then across to Southern California. It is termed the "Sun Belt" because of the warm and sunny climate of the region. The primary states of the Sun Belt are Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah.

The Bottom Line

The term "Rust Belt" denotes a region of the U.S. that was once a booming hub of industrial and manufacturing jobs, due to the companies located there, such as automotive and steel companies. After the 1950s, as manufacturing moved overseas and to the South, and as the country opened up to imports, the region lost many jobs.

This resulted in a large-scale exodus of the population to look for employment elsewhere, resulting in urban decay and poverty. In the last decade, however, many of these regions are pivoting away from manufacturing and attracting new service-related jobs. Detroit, for example, has seen a revitalization of its downtown.

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Rust Belt: Definition, Why It's Called That, List of States

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The Rust Belt is a colloquial term used to describe the region from New York to the Midwest that was once dominated by industrial manufacturing.

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Les travailleurs, principalement blancs, des industries manufacturières de la région de la Rust Belt ont toujours soutenu les Démocrates jusqu'en 2016, où, après avoir voté pour Barack Obama en 2008 et 2012, ils changent leur vote pour Donald Trump, lui permettant de remporter la course contre Hillary Clinton. Alors pourquoi ces électeurs blancs de la classe ouvrière ont-ils fini par voter pour Trump après avoir soutenu Obama deux fois ?
Premièrement, des États composent la Rust Belt. Ces États étaient considérés comme démocrates jusqu'à ce qu'ils basculent leur vote pour le mettre dans le parti républicain en 2016. Cela s'explique principalement par la désindustrialisation, soit la perte des emplois industriels. En effet, dans l'État de l'Ohio tout comme à Kenosha dans l’État du Wisconsin, les électeurs ont voté pour Obama en 2012 mais ont basculé pour Donald Trump en 2016, puisque ce sont tous deux des zones devenues désindustrialisées. Se sentant délaissés et abandonnés face aux conséquences de la désindustrialisation, ces travailleurs aillant auparavant voter pour le parti démocrate, ont eu tendance à voter pour Trump, qui lui, a promis de ramener les emplois manufacturiers perdus. Contrairement au Parti démocrate n'ayant pas priorisé les intérêts des travailleurs et au lieu, d'avoir soutenu des politiques néolibérales. Dans le secteur manufacturier, les États-Unis ont perdu huit millions d'emplois, justement dans la région de la Rust Belt, ce qui a laissé de nombreux travailleurs au chômage et dans la pauvreté. Ce triste phénomène les a incité à voter Trump en raison des promesses qu'il a faites quant à la résolution de cette situation économique difficile pour de nombreux travailleurs dans la région de Rust Belt.

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Donald Trump et les « Cinq de la Rust Belt »

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Bien que Donald Trump gagne de plus en plus de votes de la communauté afro-américaine et latino-américaine, l'accroissement de ces dernières dans les villes des États-Unis avantage le parti démocrate. En effet, au récente élection, Harris a gagné 53% du vote des latinos et Trump 43%. De plus, elle a aussi réussi à avoir le vote de 80% des afro-amérinains comparé à Trump qui en a seulement eu 20%.

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Latinos, femmes, Afro-Américains et jeunes: ces électeurs ont aidé Trump à gagner

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Le vote hispanique est l’un des facteurs déterminants dans la victoire de Donald Trump.

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Les États, considérés « pivots » ou "swing states" sont ceux où les idéologies des électeurs sont 50-50, soit des résultats incertains et presque égaux entre les deux partis principaux; républicains et démocrates. Par exemple, la Pennsylvanie représente l'un de ces États pivots, car elle jouera un rôle clé dans les résultats des élections. Toutefois, les régions les plus rurales de ces états pivots votent davantage pour le Parti républicain, en raison notamment, de la désindustrialisation.

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En Arizona, l'enjeu le plus important est l'immigration due à sa position frontalière avec le Mexique. Donald Trump veut installer des politiques intenses et fermer la frontière avec le Mexique. Ce dernier a affirmé qu'il fera recours aux mesures de guerre, à l’armée ainsi qu'à la Garde nationale des États afin d'expulser les migrants. Par ailleurs, Kamala Harris veut simplement sécuriser les frontières, adopter des politiques beaucoup moins strictes et permettent, tout de même, l'immigration légale. En 2024, 80% des républicains affirment que l'immigration est très importante pour leur vote comparé aux démocrates où seulement 39% disent cela. C'est évidemment un sujet très controversé et important pour les élections puisque l'opinion de la population à ce sujet est très divisée.

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Déportations ou immigration : le choix des Américains

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Tandis que Trump insiste sur la déportation massive des migrants sans-papiers, Harris veut renforcer la sécurité à la frontière et limiter l’accès à l’asile.

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La démocrate Kamala Harris est la candidate ayant amassé le plus d'argent au cours de la campagne. Elle a réussi à amasser plus du double de ce que le républicain Trump avait réussi à amasser durant le même mois. Cet avance aurait pu lui procurer un avantage aux élections américaines. Les comités de financements aux États-Unis s'appellent PAC (comités d’actions politiques) et depuis un arrêt de la Cour suprême des États-Unis, Citizens United c. FEC, leur fonctionnement a changé. En effet, depuis 2010, l'interdiction faite aux entreprises de contribuer financièrement aux campagnes électorales n'est plus applicable et ils peuvent donc contribuer financièrement sans aucunes limites, de manière illimité.

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L’argent, crucial dans la course à la Maison-Blanche

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Kamala Harris a annoncé avoir récolté 310 millions de dollars américains en juillet, plus du double des fonds recueillis par Donald Trump.

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Plusieurs démêlés judiciaires de Donald Trump ont eu lieu. Parmi ceux-ci, il a été jugé coupable de falsification de documents, c'est-à-dire une altération de la vérité dans le but de cacher un paiement dans ce cas-ci. En effet, Stormy Daniels, ancienne actrice de filmes pour adultes, affirme que Trump aurait payé pour acheter son silence après une relation sexuelle. Si Donald Trump est réélu, ses démêlées judiciaire pourraient avoir des conséquences comme son image pourrait être ternie. De plus, la condamnation pour falsification de documents, pourrait amener des doutes quant à sa capacité à bien gouverner et des doutes sur sa crédibilité par exemple. Si une peine était appliquée, cela pourrait limiter son pouvoir et entraînant ainsi, la perte du soutien de ses partisans.

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Donald Trump jugé coupable: Stormy Daniels estime que l’ex-président “devrait être condamné à une peine de prison”

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L’ancienne actrice de films X Stormy Daniels a réagi samedi 1er juin pour la première fois à la condamnation de l’ancien président des États-Unis. Donald Trump a été jugé coupable de falsification de documents dans le but de cacher un paiement à la femme de 45 ans.

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Le peuple a voté et James David Vance est le prochain vice-président des États-Unis. L'élection s'est majoritairement joué dans les « swing states » t'el que le Wisconsin, la Géorgie, la Pennsylvanie, le Michigan, le Nevada, l'Arizona et la Caroline du Nord qui ont tousse penché pour le parti républicain.

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Présidentielle américaine 2024 : tout comprendre aux « swing states », ces Etats où se joue l’élection

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Ces Etats aux résultats traditionnellement serrés, qui peuvent basculer d’un camp à l’autre à chaque élection, sont cruciaux pour la victoire à la présidentielle de novembre 2024.