[RandomTisk]

Who ultimately pays the tariffs is missing the forest for the trees, their primary function is to tax, and taxation virtually always reduces spending. Don't want to pay tariffs? Buy domestic. Tariffs are the single reason (or one of very few) that the US isn't flooded with BYD electric cars from China. China's dirt cheap labor could decimate the US auto industry, but for tariffs and trade regulation, but I repeat myself.

[tartuffe78]

They're putting tariffs on things you can't buy or produce domestically, rubber, coffee, etc.

[NetMageSCW]

That’s an incredibly naive position that assumes there are domestic options available for most things, and that they would be cheaper than tariffed items.

[engineer_22]

> the US isn't flooded with BYD electric cars from China. China's dirt cheap labor could decimate the US auto industry,

What you're describing is called "dumping", and it's a strategy China has used to varying degrees of success in other markets in order to destabilize foreign industries. It could be seen as an act of war.

Chinese labor is not actually so cheap anymore, many other developing nations are significantly less expensive. But China's secret weapon is total control and coordination across industries. They use this to subsidize target industries for the export market. You've highlighted automakers, but they also target steel, aluminum, and others. To a casual observer it almost appears as if they were targeting industries that could be readily adapted to wartime production.