Penny Wise, Pound Foolish: MAGA County Losing Largest Employer

In the heart of America, where MAGA hats outnumber trees and Trump flags wave proudly in the breeze, a crisis is brewing. The humble penny, that pesky copper coin we all toss into jars or leave on countertops, is at the center of a political storm. President Trump’s bold plan to stop making pennies has sent shockwaves through a small, Trump-supporting county where jobs are now on the line.

Yes, you read that right. The very voters who cheered for Trump’s “America First” policies are now facing the irony of their own making. The U.S. Mint facility in their county, which has been churning out pennies since before anyone cared about inflation, is now at risk of shutting down. Who could have guessed that a policy to save taxpayers $70 million a year would come back to bite the hands that voted for it?

Perhaps the most poetic part of this saga is the sheer predictability of it all. Trump’s policies have always been a double-edged sword, but his base has consistently shrugged off the consequences—until now. Suddenly, the “drain the swamp” rhetoric feels a little less appealing when the swamp is your own backyard.

So, as this county grapples with the loss of their beloved penny-producing jobs, let’s take a moment to appreciate the irony. After all, isn’t this the kind of “disruption” they voted for? Maybe next time, they’ll think twice before betting their livelihoods on a coin that’s practically obsolete.

In the meantime, we’ll be here, watching the penny drop—both literally and figuratively.