The Republican party supported tariffs until after post WW2 to try and prop up Western Europe. It didn’t support “free trade” (or one sided free trade) with China until the 90s. People forget until WW2, the majority of our governments income came from tariffs - and we grew much faster - and wages grew much faster. Before we started “free trade” with China, we had averaged 3.5-4.5% GDP growth over the previous 25, 50, 100, 200 years. Since then we’ve averaged 2%. There is no evidence “free trade” works - largely because there is no such thing as free trade today - we have its free to come into the US but not for the US to go elsewhere. And that doesn’t even count currency manipulation and subsidies.
1) The Chinese think its ok to break any rule as long as you don’t get caught. 2) Tariffs could be risen to get rid of the income tax. Keep sin taxes though I’d give tobacco a big break.
We were being “de-industrialized” prior to the 90’s, and THAT was planned.
Result: Destruction of the middle class (that’s what the dems/deep state want)
Whole towns (around here) were once thriving wealth-building factory towns...now:
The row housing is all section 8, welfare recipients wander under the shadow of the empty factory like medieval peasants amidst Roman ruins in the dark ages.