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Does the admin’s affinity for tariffs have anything to do with Lutnick? His “former” firm bought tariff credits from companies for pennies on the dollar - huge upside if you knew what was coming.

Trumps been talking about tariffs since the 80's https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEDVdSclDqg

I'd say that's more effect than cause.

I do think that Trump is irrationally attached to protectionism, but I also think that tariffs have at least 2 concrete benefits for him: 1) as a tool of economic coercion to achieve geopolitical ends, and 2) as a form of corruption to solicit de facto bribes in exchange for exemptions.

2, yes. 1, maybe he thought that would work, but it hasn't.

When you are forbidden to expand taxation on the people with money, because "ideology" and your country is accruing debt at historic levels, tariffs are about the only revenue source that you have that won't make the oligarchs angry.

I don't think this has anything to do with revenue or the national debt. They don't seem to care about that at all.

Trump is one of oligarchs.