President Trump’s tariffs have reignited a national debate: Are they a path to restoring working-class prosperity, or a protectionist misstep that ultimately hurts American consumers?

Defenders of tariffs often argue that the measures will restore manufacturing jobs, which they claim have suffered and negatively impacted the economic prospects of male workers in particular. The more traditional economic view is that tariffs amount to a tax on American consumers, and that claims of broad benefits are dubious at best.

On this episode, host Nic Dunn is joined once again by AEI Senior Fellow and Defending Ideas Contributor Beth Akers. Beth and Nic talk with two expert guests — Mark DiPlacido of American Compass and Scott Winship of the American Enterprise Institute — to steelman the arguments on both sides.

Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, equipping listeners to become more effective champions of sound principle and good policy. Visit defendingideas.org.