he’d declare “total victory” if import taxes were as high as 50% a year from now

“The country will be making a fortune,” Trump told Time, claiming businesses will reshore production to the United States, adding jobs and investment — a theory debunked by a large number of businesses and economists. “Oh, zero would be easy, but zero, you wouldn’t have any companies coming in. They’re coming in because they don’t want to pay the tariffs.”

That plan faces extreme challenges, including training American workers who have been hesitant to take factory jobs (the United States has nearly half a million open factory jobs it can’t fill, according to the Department of Labor’s latest job openings report). Also, tariffs themselves have made factory construction significantly more expensive. And even if businesses wanted to reshore production, that process can take years.

We live in the dumbest fucking timeline. He’s been obsessed with tariffs since the 80s and doesn’t understand the nuance you need to use them as an actual tool.