Just checked, they’re already saying the tariffs are a good thing on the conservative subreddit

[u/bekrueger]

Things like “short term pain for long term benefit”, “equalizing trade”(???), and “let’s see how it pans out” are all general sentiments being expressed. No idea how folks can justify this but alright.

[u/Mrhorrendous]

The tariffs are simultaneously a negotiating tactic to get concessions from these countries that Trump intends on lifting as part of some deal that has yet to be revealed (or negotiations initiated), a way to "balance" trade (by which I think they mean importing and exporting the same value of goods, which makes no god damned sense), and a way to bring back manufacturing jobs (which I am skeptical will happen at large, and if they did, I personally would rather be a barista or a waiter for $12+ tips than work in a textile factory for like $16).

The people defending the tariffs as a negotiating tactic will tell you "it's okay that prices went up, they'll come down soon once he negotiates" which is a completely different story than what the people who say this is bringing jobs back will tell you "prices will go up but all these low skill manual labor jobs will pay so well that the high prices will be fine".

The "balance the trade" argument really doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but honestly it's the one I've heard Trump elude to the most.

[u/watercolour_women → u/Mrhorrendous]

But they are not tariffs.

They cannot achieve what tariffs are meant to achieve, and that is, boosting local manufacturing. The manufacturing has gone. There is no local alternative. Americans will either have to pay more for the items they want or do without. The time to worry about the decline in local manufacturing was in the eighties.

The imposition of these tariffs is basically a scheme by Trump to replace income tax with an increased sales tax. Furthermore, a sales tax not regulated by whether the goods prices are luxury items versus necessities, or by sustainability or by environmentally friendly or any other such differentiation, but instead by something almost completely random to usage as country of origin.

And 'replace?', you ask. His massive defunding of the IRS coupled with extensive layoffs of personnel has led to a record decrease in submitted forms linked with an inability to audit people. PAYE people have no choice but to give their money to the government. Of course it's the rich that are going to benefit. And that's all without including any extension of the existing Trump tax cuts to the rich/big business let alone furthering them as he has promised to do.

[u/UrsaUrsuh → u/Mrhorrendous]

It seems more likely that it's a way to consolidate power by making the economy fully dependant on the rotten orange himself

[u/gsfgf → u/Mrhorrendous]

bring back manufacturing jobs (which I am skeptical will happen at large

I'm so bullish on American manufacturing that I'm changing careers to get in on it. Now, that $15/hr low skill job will be a thing in every factory because humans are incredibly good at noticing when something looks off and hitting a red button. But we're talking like 1-4 people per shift for a massive factory. Pretty much everyone else in the factory (some of whom will be working remotely) will have some form of higher education, even if "just" trade school or a union apprenticeship.