Why does Trump want tarriffs? Real question.

[LAS14]

What's in his mind? Please don't clutter up my thread with "Because he's stupid." I want to know what the appeal is to his base. What are they all imagining?

[Walleye]

1. They like the idea of using monetary penalty to force people to do things against their will.

Remember, “whether they like it or not“. It’s all part of his bullying personality I think. There may be good economic reasons for it, will have to wait and see I guess, but it’s not the reason tariffs are usually imposed.

[Irish_Dem]

30. Yes the sadistic cruelty will appeal to Trump and his pals.

But there will also be a money connection for Trump personally.

[Walleye]

35. Always

[Irish_Dem]

37. He loves a con where there is cruelty, trickery, manipulation and a big payoff.

Sexual, power, money.

[travelingthrulife]

2. They think all the outsourced factories will return to the US because they can no

longer turn a profit out there. They think the US will turn into 1950's manufacturing even though the infrastructure is long gone. They think their wages will remain high when the products are made here.

This will be interesting to hear other theories.

[radicalleft]

7. Yep...Made in America*

*as long as it's not union made

[Blue_Tires]

3. Because he had literally nothing else to run on

His cultists are ignorant

Tariffs feed into their little "retribution" fantasy...

Tariffs are a really, REALLY stupid idea, so other countries are going to beg and grovel with Donnie not to go through with him, which strokes his Grand Canyon sized ego...

[onecaliberal]

26. Only they won't. They'll go elsewhere. Other countries.

[LaMouffette]

4. I'm guessing that he saw how the pandemic allowed businesses to jack up their prices and keep them there permanently

so now he sees tariffs as a way to do the same thing, maybe?

As for the tariffs on Canada and Mexico, maybe this is a vindictive swipe at Bill and Hilary, since NAFTA was Bill Clinton's baby.

Or maybe this is another task on Putin's "Honey Do" list for Trump: "Destroy the American economy."

[zorbasd]

10. Probably an acknowledgement that his f@#cking

party went gung-ho in destroying the US manufacturing base starting in the 80's, by giving incentives for manufacturing to move to Asia, because the middle class was getting too large and comfortable according to the oligarchs of the time....now look.

[louis-t]

16. That goes with what my father would say in the '80s.

He talked about a time in the '50s and '60s when "everyone had a pocketful of money and Republicans couldn't stand it." I figured out what he meant as I got older.

[Irish_Dem]

33. Yes revenge and Putin's list. Good points.

[Johonny]

5. He can bully allies and look strong

Trump is a weak man too afraid to cross paths with Putin. However, he found out in his first term it is easy to bully your allies. Most will try to weather your storm. They are, after all, our traditional allies.

Shouting about being treated unfair and tariffs makes him look tough. His base love it. The have no idea how economics work. But on TV, this plays well. It is all show. Reality TV shit.

[Irish_Dem]

34. Putin's goals: damage the US economy and break up North American agreements and cooperation.

[JohnSJ]

6. because the people he surrounds himself with are advocates of it, even though most economists believe history has shown

it is a disaster, and will lead to trade wars and inflation.

Those who do not learn from history, are doomed to repeat it.

[HappyH]

8. It's a grift

I think it will turn out to be a grift along with the deportations. Make a donation, get an exemption from tariffs. Make a donation and your workers will not be deported. The Felon does not do anything for others, everything he does is for his benefit.

[democratsruletheday]

21. Couldn't agree more Happy...

always, always, ALWAYS about the grift with this ahole.
He won't enact too many and if he does he'll 'allow' the affected
countries to buy their way out of it. Ya know....a bribe to him
and/or the RNC. Can't believe so many people are freaking out
about his transparent and latest grift. Such a POS

[Irish_Dem]

36. Bingo. I wonder how much money he will make on the tariff grift?

He doesn't have to pay one penny to set up the con job, all taxpayer funded so pure profit.

Welcome to DU!

[HappyH]

41. Thank you

I have lurked here for decades, finally took the plunge.

[Irish_Dem]

43. You made a good comment.

Keep 'em coming.

Glad you de-lurked.

[Emile]

9. It's a diversion while they enact project 2025.

[OhioTim]

11. Probably Not To The Extent

he is blabbing about. I support tarifs on cheap Chinese cars subsidized by the government to destroy the US auto industry, but not much more.

[RubyRose]

12. To encourage companies to keep production in

America rather than chasing lower wages elsewhere.

[Bonx]

13. He doesn't really want tariffs. He wants to use the threat of tariffs

to get what he wants.

[thatdemguy]

14. From what I have seen they claim to call it fair trade.

The eu has 10% tariffs on American made cars, yet the US on has a 2.5% tariff on Euro made cars.

[ForgedCrank]

15. As I

said in another thread, and I have to say it again, he's just not that bright. Trump thinks everyone thinks like he does, in that money is the only thing that is important. And while this is true in some respects, he doesn't understand that other people may prioritize other things above that.
He also appears to be unable to predict the consequences of his actions. This one is a good example: Mexico and Canada will likely retaliate by doing the same thing to us. In the end, this will hurt Mexico, it will hurt Canada, and it will hurt the US.
One thing to note though. I've been to Canada many times, and one thing is certain, they are money hungry. If you've ever tried to cross the border with any equipment, they are like aggressive buzzards in the customs area. Their investigations all revolve around 2 things: First, are you coming there to take a job away from a Canadian and second, can they extract any import or duty taxes from you. I was taking some training aids with me once (wireless components) and needed to take them home with me when I returned. Before it was over, they googles the highest sale price of these items they could find, and charged us like 20% tax (I think that was the rate, it was very high) on all of it. Anyone who has done work in Canada will know exactly what I'm talking about. I have no experience with Mexico as I've never been there.
What i'm saying is that there is some scrutiny to go around here, But as they say, with Trump, everything looks like a nail for his hammer. There are better ways to negotiate cooperation than this.
Thats my personal opinion.

[Doodley]

17. Here are my ten reasons:

Plays the xenophobic card.

Plays the 'America First' card.

Plays to the Srongman card.

Plays the "blame others" (other nations) card.

Plays the "I'm a businessman and this is different to those other clowns" card.

Also it raises more taxes through the average guy in the street to subsidize billionaire
tax cuts who will keep supporting and funding him.

He also likes being the bully (bullying other nations).

He loves creating chaos.

He loves to prove the experts wrong as that makes him feel smart.

He thinks he is an economic genius and this will work out well.

[AloeVera]

24. All true!! Very good points.

And #6 - absolutely! It's regressive taxation on the poor especially - negligible impact on the rich. Combined with his tax cuts, it's a massive wealth redistribution, as if the wealth gap wasn't already obscene.

This should have been pounded home in messaging BEFORE the election. I don't know if it was, or if it would have even made a difference.

[Mosby]

18. Someone sold him on the benefits.

Liberals used to support fair trade but they and the Republicans went all in on free trade.

A better question is when did Liberals give up on fair trade?

If you care about climate change you should support tariffs because that's the only way the West can "encourage" developing countries to reduce GG emissions.

Trump is doing this for other reasons.

[Miguelito Loveless]

19. Ultimately

it helps the bottom line of the billionaires who own domestic companies making products affected by the tariffs. The will raise their prices just under what Chinese goods cost, which is simply raising their profit margins.

[GreenWave]

20. Because it is about a century since they tried it. We need another make America have a Great Depression.

[AloeVera]

22. It's a gift to the rich. A regressive form of taxation.

Combined with his tax cuts, the impact is a massive redistribution of wealth to the well-off.

Of course.

Here is a good take on that, from a Nobel laureate in economics.

https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/trump-tariffs-would-tax-the-middle-class-benefit-the-richest-by-simon-johnson-2024-10

[Irish_Dem]

29. A fascist leader always demands a big cut of any "gifts."

In Russia, if you do not give the fascist leader what he demands, you will fall out of a window.

In China, you disappear and no one knows what happened to you.

[sakabatou]

23. He wants to seem tough to his base, and enrich his corporate masters

That being said, I seriously doubt he even knows what they are or do.

[LAS14]

25. Thanks to all so far!!! Not a single simplistic, "Because he's an idiot." nt

[Irish_Dem]

27. Trump's only interest is making himself the richest man in the world.

So the tariff issue is somewhat of a political stunt, but there must be way he is going to make some serious cash.

I heard he was giving exemptions (this means he is selling them to the top bidders) and he certainly
will take secret bribes.

[Uncle Joe]

28. Probably because he will be expecting a monetary reward for not doing so, a form of extortion.

Thanks for the thread LAS

[milestogo]

31. I think he sees it as retribution but I would seriously doubt that he understands

all the ramifications of what he is trying to do.

[Hope22]

32. He will force Americans to pay the tariff and then when it is collected he skims off the cream

To share with Putin who he owes a huge debt to. Also the tariffs will hurt North America and that is also win for putty!

[Raven123]

38. My guess.

He threw it out there partly because it just flew into his head and because it was easy to a create boogie man in targeting other countries. When he got push back he, as always, just dug in his heels. His two-year old mentality

[rainin]

39. He said in 2015 that the housing crisis was great for him. I think his goal is to drive the middle class into bankruptcy

so the wealthy and the corporations can buy up all the assets. He's counseled with dictators whose countries have concentrated ALL the wealthy into the hands of a few oligarchs. This is a well thought out plan and complaining that it will negatively affect the economy won't matter because that's the goal

[VGNonly]

40. All In The Family mentality

It was a time that was already disappearing, 50 years ago. Pubs want it back.

" Mister we could use a man like Herbert Hoover again"

[D. Spaulding]

42. His base likes the tough talk and hardline stance and threats

And Trump really thinks they work. A theme of his is that he feels everyone is ripping off the U.S.
H.R. McMasters said that he struggled to explain to Trump how NATO worked. Trump thought NATO countries were somehow delinquent on dues or fees that they weren't paying, and didn't realize the only fiscal requirement was how much they spent on defense.