You’d think The Seattle Times’ business and economics columnist would grasp, well, business and economics. But like many in Seattle media, Donald Trump broke Jon Talton. And Talton isn’t afraid to humiliate himself in print just to remind us how much he despises the former president.

In the dramatically titled, “A Trump victory would at least shatter the Seattle economy,” Talton claims the former president threatens the “superstar city” status of Seattle. What he doesn’t bother to explain is how Seattle even qualifies as a “superstar” these days, especially considering he conveniently skips the actual economic data. And if he had included it, he’d be arguing against his own narrative.

Wondering how Talton builds his case? Spoiler alert: he doesn’t. Lacking in facts and completely devoid of any serious analysis, his entire argument boils down to this — Seattle’s economy would supposedly tank under Trump because, well, Talton hates Trump. The column was so laughably weak and absurd, it caught the attention of Fox Business and earned some well-deserved ridicule, courtesy of yours truly.

Seattle City Council ruined the local economy, not Trump: Jason Rantz https://t.co/3Xf2PBtSN2 #FoxBusiness

— Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) October 14, 2024

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Trying to make sense of Jon Talton’s bizarre claims about Trump and Seattle

The Seattle Times columnist spends shockingly little ink on discussing Seattle in an article about why Trump would hurt Seattle.

Talton begins his column complaining that Trump “forced” Boeing, which isn’t based in Seattle, into a fixed-price contract that converted two 747s into Air Force One planes. He noted that Boeing “lauded the deal” publicly on then-Twitter. How does this help Talton’s argument? It doesn’t. He merely said they were bullied.

Then, Talton claimed Trump threatened Amazon, which is headquartered in Seattle. But he didn’t explain the threat, merely linking to a previous column where he wrote about a Trump tweet about a report that “the U.S. Post Office will lose $1.50 on average for each package it delivers for Amazon.” He said that Amazon shouldn’t benefit from discounted rates. This isn’t a threat, of course. It’s a policy position.

Finally, Talton complained that Trump labeled Seattle an “anarchist jurisdiction” because of the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, which was, in fact, anarchist.

This is the entirety of his argument that Trump is specifically bad for Seattle, before complaining about the former president’s proposed tariffs. That the Joe Biden/Kamala Harris administration maintained most of the tariffs, like a Harris presidency would likely continue them, didn’t earn but a brief and supportive message.

Seattle, a supposedly “superstar city” according to Seattle Times columnist

Talton defends Seattle’s honor by calling it a “superstar city” despite its “shortcomings in 2020.” He just forgets to make a case, and pivots to shining a spotlight on the Port of Seattle and the City of Redmond.

His Seattle Times argument is relegated to noting the metropolitan area is home to Amazon and Microsoft, along with unnamed “numerous other corporate headquarters,” and has “one of the most vibrant and diverse economies in the United States,” though he doesn’t provide any data.

Next, he offers a remarkably lazy, bad faith and disingenuous attempt to credit Biden for a strong Seattle economy, while also acknowledging, “Presidents have only limited control over the economy.”

“Still, after a serious inflation scare, the economy under Biden is remarkably successful, despite Trump’s claims. Inflation has cooled to a normal level,” he wrote.

Seattle and Washington economies thrived under Trump, not so much under Biden. Don’t expect Seattle Times to be honest

Though Trump is bad for Talton’s mental health, he was a boon to Seattle. The city actually thrived under his presidency but barely stayed afloat under Biden/Harris.

Until COVID-19, the Seattle metro unemployment rate saw record lows, hitting 2.7%. Post-COVID-19, under Biden/Harris, the city continues to struggle with a 4.7 unemployment rate. In fact, after post-COVID-19 recovery (based on reopening the economy, not any specific policy), the unemployment rate has been seeing a steady incline.

Statewide, we’re at 4.8% unemployment, which is higher than the national average. Still, Talton said economists consider this “full employment” (defined as an unemployment number under 5%, which we’re almost at).

Under Trump, we hit a low of 3.6% unemployment rate after seeing decreases in nearly every month Trump was in office. Under Biden/Harris, we briefly hit a low of 3.4% before a steady increase through the latest data.

Diverse economy?

One particular reason why Seattle’s economy has struggled is because we’re not a “diverse” economy as Talton suggested. We’re an Amazon- and tech-centric economy.

Though Talton forgot, it was an uber-progressive and socialist Seattle City Council that introduced a head tax against Amazon before ultimately passing a payroll tax. It pushed thousands of Amazon jobs from Seattle to Bellevue. Concurrently, post-COVID-19 tech boom, demand softened and Amazon, along with other local tech firms, saw layoffs and cut spending. This happened under Biden/Harris, not Trump.

Meanwhile, as Democrats’ soft-on-crime policies and laws took effect, small businesses suffered. It’s already expensive doing business in Seattle. Adding expenses to fix storefronts destroyed by stolen cars driven through them and having to relocate because of violent crimes doesn’t help the economy prosper.

More from Jason Rantz: Baristas hold coffee shop hostage, business man warned not to share economic reality

Tariffs and inflation and cost of living, oh my!

Talton argued that Trump’s tariffs would hurt the economy locally, though they didn’t when Trump was in the White House. This time, however, he said they will because … Trump is bad.

He actually argues that tariffs, not COVID-19, was the reason the state’s merchandise trade exports declined. And, of course, he doesn’t mention COVID-19 at all.

Though Talton argued “inflation has cooled,” he doesn’t mention that it skyrocketed to record highs under Biden/Harris, while staying low under Trump. The cost of living, including food, gas, and housing, were all cheaper under the former president, which explains why he doesn’t cite the data.

Trump is bad because … Trump. Or something?

It’s fair to debate the impact of tariffs, no matter who’s in the White House. And Talton is obviously entitled to disagree with Trump ideologically. But his article is weaker than The Seattle Times’ subscriber count.

Talton’s column relies more on fiction than fact, which explains why he couldn’t support his argument with any meaningful data. Instead, he had to wander outside of Seattle to Redmond, Everett and the rest of Washington in a desperate attempt to make his case. And he even failed at that.

I get it: Talton doesn’t like Trump (or at least feels the need to pretend not to if he wants to keep his job at The Seattle Times). But why let that hatred — whether genuine or for show — drive him to embarrass himself so thoroughly in such a poorly thought-out column? Who benefits from this?

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Closing in on his return from a lengthy recovery from reconstructive knee surgery, the Seattle Seahawks will welcome second-year safety Jerrick Reed II back to the practice field as they begin preparations for a road trip to face the Atlanta Falcons.

Drafted in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of New Mexico, Reed earned a spot on Seattle’s initial 53-man roster and made an immediate impact on special teams, finishing second on the team with nine tackles on kick and punt coverage. He also saw limited action on defense, recording two additional tackles on 29 snaps at both safety spots in nickel and dime looks.

Unfortunately, Reed’s promising rookie season came to a crashing halt when he tore his ACL while covering a kickoff during a Week 11 road loss to the Rams. Due to his injury happening late in the season, he opened training camp on the PUP list and has missed the first six games as his rehab continued into the regular season.

Making enough progress for clearance to return to practice, the Seahawks will now open Reed’s 21-day window, giving them up to three weeks to activate him to the 53-man roster. If he isn’t activated by the end of the window, he will revert back to season-ending PUP list.

Two weeks ago, defensive tackle Cameron Young returned to practice off the PUP list after missing extended time with his own knee injury. Seattle activated him on Thursday before hosting San Francisco and he made his season debut, so the team may be looking at a similar timeline for Reed as long as he doesn’t have any setbacks on the practice field.

In an addition move, the Seahawks re-signed veteran guard/tackle McClendon Curtis to the practice squad, filling an opening created when cornerback Artie Burns was signed to the active roster on Thursday. He was released to help facilitate that move as well as Young’s activation from the PUP list.

Several hotel workers from Hilton near Seattle airport have initiated a strike, joining 4,375 hotel workers across the US.

The strikes, which include employees from Hyatt and Marriott as well, have been ongoing in Honolulu, Boston, San Francisco, and Seattle.

Workers are demanding higher wages, fair staffing, and the reversal of cuts made during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The current strikes at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Seattle Airport and Hilton Seattle Airport & Conference Centre by 374 workers are set to last until the early hours of 19 October 2024.

In other cities, the action is planned to continue until contracts are secured.

The workers, part of the UNITE HERE union, encompass various roles such as housekeepers, cooks, and front desk agents, and more.

They seek to address issues such as fair workloads and staffing levels.

The union has advised travellers to avoid patronising hotels involved in the strikes.

Picket lines are expected to be in place around the clock, potentially leading hotels to limit services.

Guests have already faced inconveniences such as lack of housekeeping, accumulation of trash, and reduced amenities.

Some guests, unaware of the strikes upon booking, have even protested for refunds due to the diminished hotel experience.

UNITE HERE has called for hotels to be transparent with guests about ongoing strikes and has provided resources to assist travellers in finding non-affected accommodations.

UNITE HERE International President Gwen Mills said: “Hotel workers are tired of working long hours while barely getting by. Hotel workers keep walking out on strike because hotel corporations like Hilton can afford to raise wages.

“The hotel industry is not only recovering from the pandemic but making record profits by cutting staff and guest services. Strikes will continue in the hotel industry until Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott show they respect our work by settling contracts that help our members recover too.”

The strikes follow a series of contract negotiations, with more than 10,000 workers participating in strikes since September 2024.

Workers report insufficient wages that necessitate multiple jobs to support their families.

The union has highlighted that many hotels have reduced staffing and services, maintaining pandemic-era cuts that have led to job losses and increased workloads for remaining staff.

These conditions have prompted the ongoing strikes, with the potential for more action in cities where negotiations are continuing.

“Seattle Hilton workers strike for fair wages and staffing ” was originally created and published by Hotel Management Network, a GlobalData owned brand.

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