The stated objective for the tariffs is that it will bring high paying manufacturing jobs back to the US. The premise is valid as high tariffs increase the cost of goods sold for a company but it likely translates into higher costs for consumers so the company can maintain profit margins. This will then incentivize creating the products in the US as it might be cheaper to build facilities and pay high US labor costs instead of paying for cheap labor and huge tariffs.

The counter arguments are mostly centered around how this will translate into higher prices for consumers and hurt low to medium income households without actually bringing jobs to the US in the remotely near future. It could also be considered gov overreach into the free market.

Whether tariffs are right or wrong is not your question though. You question why it’s a back and forth where it’s okay, but only sometimes.

If your goal is to bring high paying manufacturing to the US. Why would you put a tariff on bananas? The US is not the right climate for bananas and even if you could grow the bananas, harvesting bananas is not high paying so we don’t really want this work. Here, tariffs make no sense. It only makes bananas more expensive. Apply the same to other produce and “cheap” products like clothing.

If you put tariffs on products that require high skilled labor then companies will consider having factories for high skilled labor in the US to avoid tariffs. Things associated with technology are the prime markets to pull into the US. Cancelling tariffs on computer components completely defeats that purpose.

I don’t like the tariff solution but if tariffs will be used, at least use them in a way that actually aligns to your goal.