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Except they're not really extorting other countries (unless those countries are stupid enough to give in to the mere threat) since tariffs are not paid by other countries. They are paid by US importers and as a result by US consumers. Really they are just taxing their own citizens. Problem is that a significant chunk of Americans have no idea what tariffs even are, they just support them because they think it sounds like they're "being tough" on other countries, they mistakenly assume that it's a way to punish/tax other countries. It's the good old combo of ignorance+vindictiveness which explains so many of the policies that a quite sizeable chunk of the US population support.