Can someone TLDR me on why Trump is so fond of protectionism and tariffs?

this is a bit of a lowkey secret but trump is actually mildly r-slurred

because rightoids subscribe to possibly the most r-slurred worldview in history.

That America has ever, at any point, been anything other than america first. the entire global economic system was set up to serve us, yet somehow in the rightoid world the opposite of this is true.

you're basically dealing with dangerously stupid idiots.

The heckin good faith argument for tariffs is encouraging local production. If you don't look into any numbers or understand the global economy you might think this is a good idea. I imagine trump in particular is thinking tons of factory job the boomers remember coming back, because china is only doing it 20% cheaper of course . Modern western economies of course are much more service and technical based, trying to compete on manual labour power with china and India is impossible.

Trade wars don't really help anyway because the end state is going back 100 years to only consuming what is made nearby, no countries will collapse because of not having out of season bananas in the artic circle, but having to subsist on turnips and catfish because your government can't play nice isn't much fun.

Hard mode: don't use any of the following words in your answer:

R-slur, idiot, moron, stupid, dummy, lunatic, prat, loser, imbecile, fool, numbskull, mutt, dolt, dimwit, know-nothing, ignoramus, donkey, knucklehead, dunce, jackass, dullard, dunderhead, chucklehead, bonehead, blockhead, simpleton, nitwit, doofus, natural, airhead, cretin, goon, ninny, loon, pinhead, half-wit, oaf, goof, dumbhead, lunkhead, jerk, clown, numskull, nimrod, dummkopf, meathead, hardhead, stupe, dope, dork, schnook, goose, dum-dum, nincompoop, golem, fathead, bubblehead, turkey, yahoo, schlub, dumb cluck, deadhead, villain, dip, cluck, clunk, hammerhead, gander, shlub, lump, lamebrain, noddy, dodo, saphead, ratbag, ninnyhammer, birdbrain, noodle, chowderhead, buffoon, dumbbell, clodpole, loggerhead, mome, nit, skunk, thickhead, stock, madman, cuddy, dim bulb, clodpoll, cuddie, loony, woodenhead, clot, booby, snake, nut, yo-yo, creep, zany, mug, beast, boor, gawk, heel, scatterbrain, cad, stinker, cur, featherbrain, churl.

Real answer? Not some wingcuck nonsense?

The western media and politicians have spend the last two decades removing nuance from economic policies. Sometimes to help the sweaty masses understand, sometimes for personal gain, sometimes cause they didn't grasp the whole picture.

And since everyone did it, has been doing it since before the average dramatard was born, no one can effectively push back.

And now we have laypeople proclaiming certainty over things disproven (sometime centuries ago, lol). Go read pizzatards thread to see what people who haven't done a single econ class are happy to say is true, lol

Oh! Thanks for pinging me.

A few possible reasons:

(1) It's the only tool the executive branch has for immediate compliance with foreign nations. It serves as a credible threat, and although the foreign country can enact a similar tariff, both parties know (hopefully) that it would make each of them worse off. It's basically a game of chicken, and if the stakes aren't high (such as maintaining your own border security, kthx), then they'll comply.

(2) Trump may truly believe that tariffs are the way toward making America great again, but if he's listening to his economic advisors (big if), this isn't his sincere goal. It's more of a means to an end (1). If not, well, he's being short-sighted and counter-productive like any other politician.

(3) Swinging around this economic sword gains him credibility in the eyes of his supporters who, like Democrats, are economically ignorant.

That's pretty much it.

!trump2024

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McKinley_Tariff

McKinleymaxxing

Because he is a boomer who feels nostalgic for the time before the post-industrial economy.

"protectionism" for the most valuable economy on the planet by market cap

Americans love to buy stuff. We buy so much stuff, that the idea of us buying less from a country can destabilize their economy.

Trump loves throwing our weight around, since he lacks it himself.

He's just using the threat of tariffs to negotiate.

That's kinda r-slurred but the wingcuck overreaction to it is far more r-slurred. Wake me up when there's a tariff on Chinese microchips or OPEC oil.

Basically this admin is run by JD Vance behind the scenes and he gets most of his info from Twitter anon accounts.

They basically think that China being able to make a bunch of cars means that they can (in wartime) modify those factories to produce fighter jets or tanks or some shit and then rayp us like how we rayped the Germans and japs back in the 1940s.

What they don't understand is that fighter jets and tanks don't use the same engines as cars anymore and it's not possible to make them outside of a dedicated facility so it's basically irrelevant how many cars you make in a war. Those factories can make brackets or whatever but you're not making a jet engine in an f150 line

This is basically a cautionary tale about giving 110 iq midwits like jd Vance and cremieux access to the internet

i have my own theory

ppl think he gives a shit about "him and his billionaire friends" but hes already old as frick and has not a lot of time to enjoy his spoils of war

so this is not about economic policy or ideologies, tariffs are one of the only things he can do as president without having to go through checks and balances, hes just trying to do whatever he can now in the present to power trip or go down in history and be memorable because his time is so short

he is gambling everything because he doesnt care if he fails, whether he goes down as the president that annexed all its allies or forced every ally to pay tribute or whatever, or the guy who completely destroyed america and turned it into a 3rd world country, he just wants to be remembered after he dies

"there is no such thing as bad publicity" - mark twain

"When the President does it, that means that it's not illegal."

It's about autarky. Building up your own country after decades of hollowing out by globalisation. The latter is fragile because if geopolitics go south you lack the industry to build your own stuff.

Because people who understand the economy are r-slurs like in where they don't understand that importing who don't work doesn't improve the economy. Or people who worship GDP when if you paid your wife for s*x it would increase GDP so really why even get married just get a for the good of the economy.

He really, really likes William McKinley for some reason. McKinley was big into protectionism and tariffs.

Because he is aggressive, stubborn, and stupid.

not a smart man OR big plans beyond your comprehension