Economists who know how the labour market actually functions worried about the distortions such aggressive intervention would cause, but when Trump announced he had convinced Carrier to keep 1100 jobs in Indiana, it was hailed as a huge victory. But only about 800 of the jobs reportedly “saved” had ever been at risk, and Carrier still plans to move 1300 to Mexico. In return for keeping less than half of the jobs in Indiana, Carrier will receive $7 million in tax breaks that will be paid for by Indiana taxpayers – such as the Carrier workers themselves.

The fact that the deal was a bad one – for both Carrier employees and for Indiana – was quickly pointed out by Chuck Jones, president of the local United Steelworkers union chapter. Union leaders in the US are hardly a sympathetic bunch, and their stubborn obstruction of any form of progress that might lessen their power is one of the reasons so many American industries are gridlocked. Nonetheless, Jones’ analysis of the Carrier deal was accurate. Trump retaliated by going after Jones on Twitter, and the union leader has since faced a slew of death threats.