[ecocentrik]

If the primary objective of tariffs was really to promote American manufacturing there would be an associated "Made in America" campaign that informed consumers that they're supporting American manufacturing. These types of campaigns are almost always popular and successful. I believe this isn't occurring because increasing American manufacturing is not the only stated objective of Trump's economic policies. His stated secondary objective, replacing revenue from income tax with tariff revenue, conflicts significantly with the first. If enough tariff revenue is never achieved, Trump would not have the excuse or the opportunity to disband the IRS. Informing consumers of their tax burden puts this objective in peril.

If a change in tax policy is the short term goal, is manufacturing a long term goal? Wouldn't a robust manufacturing sector mean decreased tariff revenue? The picture isn't clear because Trump is being very opaque with his policies.