If tariffs were about protecting American products from unfair competition, they wouldn’t be applied to things like coffee imports, something that cannot be produced in this country. Defender arguments ignore the fact that Americans are employed in foreign trade.

The Dollar Store that sells imported goods was built by U.S. workers and the people operating the store are U.S. workers. Their jobs depend on those imports. People buy foreign products because they are either more affordable, better quality, or simply not available domestically. Limiting imports is not going to change any of that.

Tariffs are the equivalent of a consumer tax that leaves the consumer with less money to spend. They are a double-edged sword.

If the consumer buys a certain American product that he couldn’t afford

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