Depending on the day of the week, we have heard many different reasons for President Trump’s proposed and real tariffs. 

Many of Trump’s supporters believe he is trying to restore the manufacturing base in the U.S., and that is worth the short-term pain of higher prices.  It’s a worthy goal.

Realizing that goal through tariffs is also a pipe dream. A look backward at how we got where we are today provides some important lessons we’re not applying.

U.S. companies started building plants in other countries to reduce production costs, primarily labor.  This was the free-will decision of corporate leaders seeking to improve profits, or what we call the free market in action – something traditional Republicans used to support.

Some politicians have argued that burdensome regulations from our interfering government chased manufacturing to other countries. To a lesser extent, there is some truth to this but in action this meant other countries were willing to run sweat shops and pollute their environment so Americans could have cheaper prices.

Another reason American companies build plants in other countries is to better compete in those markets. Americans aren’t the only people who like to buy local. Here’s a good illustration of this free market principle at work: 70 percent of Japanese cars sold in the U.S. are made in North America. The Japanese realized that if you want Americans to buy expensive cars, you have to provide them good jobs so they can afford them.

Other companies learned that chasing low labor costs created risks. Intellectual property has been stolen, arbitrary geopolitical decisions can change the cost equation (such as tariffs) and supply chains can be disrupted by environmental disasters or wars.

Mattel learned this the hard way. In 2007, Mattel had to recall millions of toys it made in China because of lead paint contamination. Imagine putting a brand like Barbie at risk by trusting the Chinese to use more expensive but safe paint, all to save a buck.

National defense interests are an important consideration. China’s government heavily subsidizes steel production, driving the price below that which American steel producers can match. Having an American steel industry is important to our production of national defense weapons.  

But tariffs don’t help U.S. companies buying steel because it raises their costs. 

For example, due to Trump’s first pass at steel tariffs, Mid Continent Nail Corporation in Poplar Bluff, Mo., lost orders and had to lay off workers because it could not pass on the higher cost of steel to customers. Americans didn’t want to pay more for nails. The cost of a washing machine went up 34 percent because of aluminum tariffs.

Government subsidies and incentives would be a more effective way to maintain a healthy manufacturing base for important but threatened industries without increasing prices for all the goods affected.  

This is what the Chips Act did, the Biden Administration’s answer to our national defense reliance on semiconductor chips made almost exclusively in Asia.  

With the help of government incentives, subsidies and R&D investment, American chip manufacturers are investing in plants in the U.S., and new domestic mining operations have been started for the rare earth raw materials needed for chip production. 

Republicans helped pass the Chips Act and now are joining Trump in an effort to repeal it. Because tariffs are a better approach?

One reality our politicians are not talking about is that many manufacturing jobs didn’t leave the country – they simply don’t exist anymore.  Technology continues to improve productivity without using labor.  This is happening at a faster rate, raising a question we should start talking about: How are a growing number of people going to make a living when we keep eliminating manual labor jobs with technology?

Answering that question and strengthening manufacturing bases important to our national defense is going to take a really good plan. When you plan, you start with an understanding of all the root causes of a problem. You identify actions you might take, then think through the implications and likely result of each action, then select the best courses of action.  

Trump’s plan is to impose tariffs. Calling that a plan is an insult to the word “plan.”  

Many elected Trump to address inflation. His tariff plan is going to increase prices and may ignite a global recession. It will alienate countries we count on for our national defense alliance. The short-term economic pain you’re willing to suffer isn’t going to be rewarded with a stronger American manufacturing base. 

Trump’s tariffs ignore every economic lesson from our past.

When that happens, are you going to hold Trump and the Republicans accountable?