Why US is desperate on tariff?

Tariff war is  connecting the dots between US trade policy and its internal economic stress.

1. Why US takes drastic action on imports

Tariffs and import restrictions are usually political and economic tools combined. Key reasons:

Protect domestic jobs → US politicians (especially under Trump) claimed imports “killed American jobs.” Tariffs were meant to revive US factories (steel, auto, textiles).

Cut trade deficit → The US runs a huge trade deficit (imports far exceed exports). Tariffs are a way to reduce that imbalance.

China factor → The biggest target was actually China, but in the process, other exporters (India, Mexico, EU) also got caught.

Election politics → Tariffs are popular in certain states (Rust Belt, Midwest). Leaders use them to win votes from industrial workers and farmers.

2. Are US advisers aware of impact on farmers?

Yes — absolutely. The US Government’s economic advisers and Department of Agriculture are fully aware that tariffs hurt American farmers:

When Trump put tariffs on China, Beijing retaliated by banning US soybean imports → American soybean farmers in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota lost billions.

Similarly, when India raised tariffs on almonds and apples, California & Washington farmers felt the pain.

The US Government had to create “farm bailouts” → billions of dollars in subsidies to compensate farmers for lost export markets.

So yes, the advisers knew, but the political calculation was:

“Short-term pain for farmers, long-term gain if we can bring back factories.”

3. Why it looks like US is desperate

Because the underlying problem is structural:

High labour costs → US manufacturing cannot compete with Asia.

Over-consumption economy → US imports more than it exports, year after year.

Dependence on cheap imports → From textiles to electronics, Americans rely on low-cost imports to keep living costs down.

Politics of optics → Leaders want to “look tough” on trade, even if the economics is messy.

That’s why tariffs often backfire:

US consumers pay more.

US farmers lose export markets.

Global supply chains shift to other countries (Vietnam, Mexico), not back to US.

4. Why keep doing it then?

Because trade wars are visible and simple to explain to voters:

“We are punishing unfair foreign competition.”

“We are bringing back jobs.”

Whereas the actual fixes (improving productivity, retraining workers, boosting technology) take years and don’t win quick political points.

Summary:

US tariffs are less about economics, more about political signalling and protecting votes in key states.

Advisers do know it hurts farmers, which is why huge subsidies were given.

In reality, tariffs rarely revive US industry — instead, they shift trade flows to other low-cost countries (BD, Vietnam, Mexico) and raise costs for American consumers.