They are such a disappointment. Protectionism just makes industry lazy (in my opinion.)

The US auto industry had plenty of time to build a competitive product. It’s their fault they didn’t.

Unfortunately though, they are major employers, with major unions, in a major swing state that Biden needs, giving them outsized influence.

He could potentially win Michigan based on this, so you’re probably right in that they did some polls and found this to be a domestically “good” move.

The auto industry is huge in Detroit. If Biden didn’t do this, I could imagine a situation where these budget-friendly Chinese vehicles actually scare the Big Three Auto Companies and the UAW into backing Trump, which would be a disaster.

I believe a defense for the tariffs is that the Chinese government is heavily subsidizing them, but I do not know how true that is.

Still, I detest protectionism lol.

Edit: grammar

He's betting he won't lose votes on the left because the left will vote against Trump. He's playing chicken with the end of civilization, and we're all in the car with him.