The tariffs were framed around unfair trade practices, intellectual property theft, and protecting American manufacturing—not improving labor conditions abroad.

What if this awful, awful dark period in our lives somehow gives the Vietnamese or Cambodian worker a better life because the US is no longer willing to buy goods from countries that exploit their workforce?

I don’t see how they can get a better life out of this, someone has to absorb the cost. In fact, many Southeast Asian countries saw trade increases as U.S. firms tried to move supply chains out of China.

What if American workers get a fair shake to do work for American consumers?

That’s the hope but for American workers to truly get a fair shake, tariffs need to be part of a larger plan. That means investing in domestic industries, enforcing labor standards, and making sure working people, not just corporations, benefit from any policy shifts.