Many people pointed out this problem back in the early 1970’s before the Japanese automakers steamrollered the American auto industry.
Japan was selling more cars in America every year but made it almost impossible for any meaningful volume of US autos to be sold in Japan.
But most of the the US media and influential politicians from both parties ridiculed critics and demonized them.
That was a time when America was still an industrial giant with heavy industry employing millions at good wages.
But our politicians with their lopsided trade agreements let most of those industries die and sent the jobs to other countries.
For what?
More people on welfare and government handouts?
“Japan was selling more cars in America every year but made it almost impossible for any meaningful volume of US autos to be sold in Japan.”
Tariffs wouldn’t have stopped the fact that Americans preferred the Japanese cars to the American ones because the Japanese cars were responding to the market better. Neither would tariffs have changed the fact that Japanese people preferred Japanese cars to the American ones. This was a case of domestic manufacturers resting on their laurels and suffering due to failure to adapt to changing needs of the consumer.
“More people on welfare and government handouts?”
Protectionism is welfare, just by a different name.