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Just more evidence that trump doesn't understand his own plan and doesn't have what it takes to effect it. His desire to have foreign dignitaries come and kiss the ring outweighs his political conviction that tariffs are the correct way forward.

The only possible way that tariffs work is if investors are confident that the trade barriers will stay in place - not just for the 4 years of this administration, but for the time that you would need to generate a return-on-investment from the factory that they're being incentivized to re-shore in the USA.

By signaling that the tariffs are open to negotiation, he disincentivized those investors from investing in American manufacturing when overseas manufacturing could become re-advantaged depending on the mood and disposition of a tyrant.

For example, nobody is going to build and staff an entire textile mill in Arkansas if it's cheaper (both long and short term) to just buy the product from overseas.

Even if tariffs were sound economic policy (they are not), they require a steady and predictable hand at the wheel to give confidence to the market, which is something that this president (and country seemingly) is incapable of.