Well we were doing that with USAID. Now that the blob has closed those markets to farmers and started the trade war...farmers are feeling the pinch. Ethanol was developed (in part) to create a market for excess corn. HFCS was another market created (High Fructose Corn Syrup) but that has been removed by health conscious consumers.
What you're seeing out of the White House is a fundamental ignorance on what a trade deficit/trade surplus means. It isn't driven by stupidity; it's driven by voters who believe any deficit is bad and any surplus is good. Trump plays on their stupidity and they vote for him.
The fact that we can sustain our economy while importing so much is a testament to the strength of capitalism. If you were to poll any group of consumers, they like having low prices and choices. That is what we had for decades. There is a reason for two car garages, summer homes, man caves, she-sheds, hunting camps, recreational vehicles, etc... Its excess and the middle class takes (or took) full advantage of it; now we're being told that you'll have to buy less (2 doll limit apparently) Tariffs raise prices and reduce choices. And, as the moronic MAGA turds on this thread have indicated, the goal isn't to re-shore American manufacturing.
