Using tariffs to retaliate against those set by other countries is only part of the equation. The fact is that producers in the US are subject to overhead costs that simply don't exist in much of the developing world (environmental and safety regulations, etc). Imposing tariffs simply levels the playing field and makes for fair trade.
No argument there. I don’t think it’s an ‘either/or’... but the retaliatory aspect should be automatic, predictable and unvarying - your highest tariff = our highest tariff, be it 1 or 10 thousand things. The equalization of societal variables and all of the concomitant considerations should be the task of the executive and the legislative.