From one of those other threads:
Let's explore the concept of dumb as it relates to tariffs.
I just saw the formula Trump used to decide how each country's tariff was decided.
It his nothing to do with being reciprocal, in spite of the marketing tag line. It charges tariffs based on the size of the trade deficit with the US - not on whether there are any tariffs on us.
It is the most simplistic calculation possible. Call it the artifice of the deal. Take the trade deficit, divide it by how much we import from that country, then divide by 2. That is the percentage tariff on that country.
Why is that dumb, you may reasonably ask? Because many trade deficits are not caused by tariffs or protectionist policies. Many trade deficits are structural. Another country pays its labor less than we pay ours causing goods from that country to cost less. All we are doing then is importing inflation. So now we make our own t-shirts and sneakers? Who wants those jobs? Perhaps we can bring back some immigrants we just deported to handle the work.
If Trump really wanted this to work, without blowing up our economy, he would have spent time to actually attack the problem - protectionist policies and tariffs. Instead, he is too lazy to do the hard work and will throw out the baby with the bathwater.
Once again - The Dumbest Trade War Ever.