Targeted tariffs imposed on certain raw materials do nothing but pit one U.S. industry against another. I don’t see how protecting Alcoa and U.S. Steel to the detriment of Ford and Carrier makes any sense from an economic perspective.
Yes, in an ideal situation there would be no tariffs, which would remove the possibility of any government picking winners and losers within their own country or anywhere else. And no need to identify certain industries that might need protection or some other euphemism for protection or favor. That probably depends on the other side going along with the same philosophy, all the time.