"In short, the Trump administration officials are so gung-ho on the tariffs because they are not a negotiation and also are a negotiation, because they are permanent and also temporary, because they will be a lasting source of new revenue for the government and also a declining source of new revenue for the government, because they’re mirroring the other country’s tariffs and because they’re not mirroring the other country’s tariffs, and because they’ll have the U.S. start making medicines again, make ships again, and make semiconductors again, notwithstanding the fact that the U.S. is already making medicines, ships, and semiconductors."
https://www.nationalreview.com/the-morning-jolt/why-team-trump-is-so-gung-ho-about-tariffs/