Because tarrifs never work...
Because the Nevertrumpers weren’t listening. Tarrifs work in a negotiation
Tariffs work all right, work to reduce economic activity just like every other tax. They are useful as a political tool to help dismantle artificial (generally political) constraints to market forces such as those China indulges in.
People seem to not understand what free trade actually is and believe it is something other than a goal- a goal never achieved. Another failure is to understand that trade as we have known it is controlled by government policies not the market. These lower economic growth across the board.
With actual free trade the United States economy would kick ass and take names.