The argument for it is one of vertical integration. A nation should control the items it creates, from banking to military end to end as much as possible. That also maximizes security. Look at the Boeing documents from the engineer over 10 years ago questioning outsourcing. All of your pii and banking data is probably managed by dbas in Asia. That does not sound secure or safe to me.

We are heading towards a time and place where we will not produce anything as a country. Many areas that were once prosperous now are destitute. People live by dealing drugs and by taking as much from the government as possible where their parents worked in factories. People’s respect and dignity have been offshored and outsourced.

Trying to do what’s best for a country and its people is not xenophobic. It’s common sense. It’s very sad and disconcerting to see us citizens wanting the most from their country having their ideas labeled as xenophobic.

I acknowledge U.S. trade has benefited but we are seeing signs of cracks and the side effects of it now. I also don’t think the average American has benefited from it. Living in Bangalore (nicer areas)felt like America in the 90s to me — the same places I used to enjoy in America that are now infested with crime .

Well it kinda did, just not yet in the tech space. But manufacturing has certainly taken a giant hit over the last few decades. There has also been a fair bit in tech but fortunately there's a Lot of tech still to do, so there's plenty of work to go around.

All that said, I agree with your thesis that trade is a net gain at the societal level, while potentially being a net loss for some at the individual level.

Xenophobia and Nationalism are not the solution.