Do people realize that when you tax imports it hurts your exports, because the foreign country can not earn purchasing power?

The question you pose takes a rather simplistic view of a fairly complex topic, DolLiveInOz. My response would be that it really depends upon how you impose trade tariffs. For example, the huge trade surplus we've had with China from Bush/Cheney days was worsened by the Chinese government's manipulation of their currency---something that gifted diplomatic President Obama was able to strategically address without openly alienating the short-man Chinese leader. In 2009, President Obama put tariffs on Chinese tire imports so that our own tire manufacturers had a more level trading field, but then gave the Chinese government time to fuss and fume without reacting---and then throwing a formal White House State Dinner for China's leader that allowed the leader to save face with his people. President Obama waited a few months, and then imposed trade tariffs on China's steel imports, following the same diplomatic pattern that soothed ruffled feathers. Patience and precision worked, because President Obama was still able to convince China to take part in the Green Energies technologies initiative that eventually became the 129-nation Paris Accord, part of which opened at least eight new Asian markets to American-made manufactured goods (deals set up by Secretary of State Clinton and Barack Obama initially to counter Chinese aggression. China was building artificial "islands" in the South China Sea to set up blockades for other countries' participation in trade, but the Obama team wisely used alliances with the nations of the Paris Accord to convince the UN to curb China's island-building efforts to interfere with international trade. Trump idiotically did away with these restraints when he abruptly and stupidly pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Accord (when it was the U.S. that had worked tirelessly to get it in place!).

There has to be some sort of prevention mechanism to prevent other nations from flooding the market to the exclusion or detriment of U.S.-made goods. Rational moderation is probably the wisest road to take.

So what? There are plenty of countries with money to sell shiit to.

you sound like GW bush

next you will be saying that open borders are good for the USA

AGAIN, We would rather have the ability to feed our families, unlike young Liberals who live with Mom and Dad and dont have to pay rent. And funny thing is when they do move out they end up working for Conservatives.

When you tax imports there are two main problems. 1. Prices in your market increase 2. You may trigger a trade war that in fact will hurt your exports.

problem is the US doesn't export that much anymore.

we export a little more than we did under obama though.

Fiddle sticks