For decades America imposed a tariff of 2.5% on autos from the EU, including the UK. While the EU and the UK imposed a tariff of 10% on US made vehicles. The impact of those tariffs can be seen in the percentage of US made cars sold in Europe vs what Europe sells in America. It's not even close. It has been a similar situation in the auto sector with countries in the Far East, led by Japan.
That sounds a lot to me like the US underwrote the European, British and Asian car industry......for decades!!! Seems pretty odd to me that people would be upset about a re-balancing of that disparity.
And it's not just the auto sector. This kind of disparity has existed between the US and the rest of the world on a massive amount of trade, from raw materials to finished goods. The US has been giving it away since WWII
Your statement about WWII rings true: We did "give it away", but with a clear purpose: to try to help get the world economy back on track.
...the problem became, as it often does, that all those receiving the give-aways, became dependent on them and became angry and resentful at even the suggestion of taking them away.
Politicians in the US - almost all of them - were, and are, cowards, and were/are reluctant to give away the power that our position gave us, and continually kicked the can down the road.
...and here we are. Deficits in trade, spending...anger and division being used as distractions to keep people distracted so that those politicians can keep their jobs, on our backs, and on our dime.
