I don't have very informed opinions about whether tariffs are good or bad.

But I don't hear economists talking about this point: If AI and robotics keep improving at the current rate, labor could soon (5-10 years) be removed from the equation of

capital + means of production + (human) labor = value

It will just be

capital + means of production = value

And in that possible future world, we would be very glad to have spent the last 5-10 years onshoring all the means of production (manufacturing, etc). Cheap labor is currently the advantage of less developed countries, but that advantage will go away with AI (AI is the cheapest labor). But they will be left with their infrastructure, supply chains, and factories, which they can easily re-tool for AI. If we don't have the infra, we might be left behind, at least for a season. All the humanoid robots in the world don't equal a blast furnace.

#AI #tariffs