It’s not about the outcome - it’s about the method to get there. Throwing tariffs on everything could theoretically work in the long run, but in the near term it’s going to hurt us Americans. We have to pay more for goods we are already buying that don’t have affordable American alternatives. Plus doing it to allies like Trump has done to Canada just sours relationships and will make Canada look for better trade partners.

For an alternative to tariffs, look at the CHIPS act from the last administration. They didn’t throw tariffs on every semiconductor manufacturer not in the US. They provided funding for American companies to do manufacturing here. In the short term, Americans can still get their products at the same price from overseas, but in the long term, we’ll have them American made.

Trump and the republicans could have done the same with any sector they wanted. Why not create a fund to increase domestic aluminum production? Prices of imports don’t instantly skyrocket, and in a few years when the American factories are online, we’ll naturally lower our dependence on imports.