> If tariffs are so bad, why do most countries have them?

The average global tariff rate is 2.6%:

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_tariff_ra...

Most countries have an average / mean tariff rate of <10% per the World Bank and WTO. Further, most countries probably have zero tariffs on most products, with higher ones for specific reasons:

* https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/when-are-tariffs-good

Tariffs have been falling for decades:

* https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2018/03/22/u-s-tarif...

Most countries have some small tariffs on this that or the other thing. Not massive tariffs on a huge range of goods.

A bit of salt on your steak might be good, but if you emptied the entire salt shaker on it, it would be gross.

Because they have local industry interest groups that control their politicians which screws over their own country. They'd mostly be better off without those tariffs.

Here's a hot tip: if you see a country like North Korea, don't ask why they're doing what they're doing on the assumption that it's good. Move in the opposite direction.

Tariffs make things less globally economically efficient. Sometimes that is the goal for specific industries. Economic efficiency is not the ultimate goal.

But no other country has blanket tariffs on so many other countries.

Tariffs aren't necessarily bad. They can be a pretty effective tool to support local industries, or otherwise discourage imports. Or as a retalitory tool to negotiate with.

But blanket tariffs against the whole world seems unhinged. Many of the products and materials we import have no domestic sources or limited domestic sourced that are not expandable. The us won't be able to grow domestic coffee to meet the domestic demand. Tariffing coffee import is just going to make morning routines slightly more expensive for many americans.

There was a lot less pushback for specific industry tariffs or specific country tariffs during the last Trump administration. Steel tariffs and the trade war with China weren't necessarily liked by all, especially in the specifics, but tariff all the imports is terrible.

Remember when this administration says another country has put a "tariff" on the US what they mean is there is a negative trade balance with that country (as pretty much there must be with the USD being the currency of choice).

They then decide based on trade balance to enact an actual, unilateral tariff.

> If tariffs are so bad, why do most countries have them?

Do they?

https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/TM.TAX.MRCH.WM.AR.ZS

I guess Trump wants to convert the US into a Central African country - a transoceanic banana Republic.