Explain to me the economic philosophy of tariffs

I think this is an 'Art of the Deal' move by Trump. Will it work?, we'll see.
The theory would be, we want free trade with everyone, but if they tax our goods coming into their country more than we tax goods coming from them, it sounds obvious, but it's not.
How companies are taxed is different by country, they say they're just making up the difference in taxation between the 2 countries, we say they subsidize companies by paying for things like healthcare, so it's not an expense to the producer. With China, throw in that they manipulate their currency.
It's too complicated for me to say one way or the other.

It doesn't work.

https://taxfoundation.org/tracker-economic-impact-tariffs/

Long term tariffs are a terrible idea. 
All I can think is Trump is expecting the other side to blink first.
Do they need us more than we need them?

And so it begins.

Again.

This is more complex than just the neocon / neolib worship at the altar of "free trade"

While in a frictionless (economic term) world free trade would result in the most efficient use of labor & resources and in theory with no friction about pricing the lowest prices, our real world is anything but frictionless.

Beyond just that idea, countries also have an obligation to protect their own people and territory which economics addresses poorly.

For the champion of open markets, the United States, (and yes, I know the US has bunches of market distorters in place) the use of tariffs is to "level the playing field" so that companies operating in the US have the same costs as companies operating in other countries.

As a simple example, if the Chinese government pays for all the land and capital for its car companies to build EV's (as they have) then the tariffs on those EV's are to make up for this cost advantage in the US market, so that US car companies, which are spending much of their own financial resources on land and capital, are not burdened with costs the Chinese companies do not have.

Been thinking about getting an Ooni pizza oven (Made in China).

Might have to get one before the (new) tariffs.

Tariffs haven't worked. Ever. The only thing they accomplish is limiting financial growth for the bottom 90% of the population. However with Trump following the Putin economic model, so long as he and his cronies get theirs the rest of us can fuck off.

If you are thinking about purchasing a smart watch, smart phone, tablet, laptop, gaming computer, video game, flatscreen, speakers multiple brands of shoes, multiple brands of clothing, fishing rods, reels, plumbing fixtures, electrical equipment like fixtures, switches, outlets, faceplates, LED lightbulbs, bathroom fans or repair/replacement parts for your car you might want to do it before Christmas.

I suspect that after the holidays US retailers are going to start anticipatory price hikes.

And don’t forget the permanent tax cuts for the rich in 2017 and the temporary tax cuts for the rest of us that expire next year.

So…

More tax cuts for the rich (on top of the permanent ones in 2017)
Tariffs (tax increase)
Expiring tax cuts for the middle class.
Exterminating millions of jobs in the farming industry
Eliminating millions from the labor force.

What could possibly go wrong?

I.B. Fine wrote:Long term tariffs are a terrible idea. 
All I can think is Trump is expecting the other side to blink first.
Do they need us more than we need them?

Ask Elon Musk what's happened in the aftermath of his pissing match with Brazil about X.

All Musk's threats about X killed potential business and handed it to China. Nothing can stop other foreign countries in the Western Hemisphere from turning their backs on the US on multiple fronts in response to the Wack Job in Chief.

SpaceSail enters into an agreement with Brazil

Tariffs can work, and were instrumental in the US development after the Revolutionary War.

General tariffs, not so much, but targeted tariffs to correct for unfair supports by one country do protect labor &  businesses in other countries.

25% tariff on oil from Canada doesn’t seem like a great idea. I bet Putin likes it.

Doesn't the USMCA that Donnie the Felon signed into law prevent tariffs? If so, Donnie the Felon is once again full of schit.

Trump's tariff plan could raise prices, blow up his own trade deal with Mexico and Canada