Despite Trump's vow to boost industry, the manufacturing sector is officially in recession

WASHINGTON - During President Trump's first two years in office, his standing with many voters was buoyed by a surge in manufacturing that helped create millions of new jobs and undergirded the whole U.S. economy.

But today, manufacturing has plunged into recession and is threatening to pull down other sectors, perhaps hitting hardest on supporters in those states that helped put Trump in office.

Impeachment may be dominating the news, but the less-noticed industrial slump ultimately could pose a greater threat to Trump's reelection.

As measured by the Federal Reserve, manufacturing output shrank over two straight quarters this year. That's the common definition of recession.

A separate, widely followed index drawn from purchasing managers showed September's contraction in manufacturing was the steepest since June 2009, with production, inventories and new orders all falling.

And after adding nearly half a million jobs in the prior