Subject: Re: "The Art of The Deal"
tariffs have a broad populist appeal

This is certainly true. On the other hand, it isn't by itself a very good reason for any policy : )

Mercantilism doesn't make sense, but it is certainly popular. The flat-earthers of economics : )
Politicians go that way whether they know better or not. I suspect that it's usually "not".

One traditional cure is to read something by Bastiat. (or better, a summary, since his prose is a bit old fashioned). He makes a great case that if exports are good and imports bad, then the whole world would be much better off if all the cargo ships simply sank. Read up on what he says about candle makers, which is sometimes hilarious.

Jim