[pstuart]

> they're going after the poor

That's just a bonus feature

The tariffs serve 2 purposes:

  1. They can replace income taxes and protect the wealthy (per their reasoning)
  2. They are a tool for power over other countries and a mechanism to compel them to pay personal tribute to The King of America™

I would love to be proven wrong because I'm hating this timeline.

[autoexec]

You forgot the third purpose which is market manipulation so that they can make huge profits in the stock market for themselves and their friends whenever they feel like it.

[pksebben]

I think it might even be more boring and straightforward than that.

Get power => cause market instability, make trades and bets on volatility (or have your friends do it) => offshore your gains

[libraryatnight]

The instability also damages trust in the US which loss of trust has its own economic and geopolitical fallout, so big wins for the Putins of the world.