They both represent a fundamental misunderstanding of economics. The idea of scapegoating other countries for our economic problems is right out of Nazi Germany. And the idea that our economy is doing any worse than the rest of the world is just wrong. The average person in any country would come here to improve their economic situation in a heartbeat.
Conservatives know what we need to do to improve the economy. Lower taxes, lower government spending, lower the debt, create school choice, end Obamacare and other welfare programs, repeal tons of regulations. Trade deals help our economy because they create cheaper goods, lifting burdens on the consumer.
He is not “scapegoating” other countries, he is calling out our “leaders” for their willingness to give our country away, for their 30 pieces of silver.
Whereas I agree with many of your statements, this one IMHO overstates the concept of economics as a ‘science’ or as a ‘discipline’. Economics is not a hard science, and even the supposed ‘experts’ are in large measure just giving best guesses on what they think will happen.
Also, whether any particular economy is ‘healthy’ or not depends upon what outcome measures one uses. Ultimately, IMHO, the average purchasing power of the citizenry is a good measure of how an economy is doing in general, and in that context trade deals can be a two-edged sword. If manufacturing is sent abroad to countries with cheaper labor, yes, consumers can benefit from lower costs for those products. On the other hand, if a significant number of citizens lose their jobs on this basis, their overall purchasing power goes down, even in the face of cheaper products. This does not strengthen the overall economy, unless there is a commensurate increase in exports and jobs associated with those exports. This doesn't automatically happen, thus the ultimate effect of trade on the citizenry depends significantly on how well and fair trade deals are negotiated and enforced. I agree with the general premise that we haven't been very good at negotiating trade in a favorable manner for the US.