Trump’s Global Trade War Comes to Alabama

Jimmy Lyons ought to be sleeping soundly. Business is good at the port in Mobile, which he oversees as chief executive officer of the Alabama State Port Authority. European aviation giant Airbus SE is expanding a plant nearby that relies on the port for shipments of critical parts. And near Tuscaloosa, a 3½-hour drive north, things are humming at a Mercedes-Benz plant, which is one reason the port authority is building a new auto export facility.

But Lyons has plenty to worry about. Alabama may have avoided the wrath of Hurricane Dorian in September (despite President Trump’s forecasts), but the trade wars threaten to bring a severe economic storm down on the state. “The thing that keeps me up at night is a global recession,” says Lyons. “I’ve seen what it can do to our business. It dips very quickly and comes back very slowly.”