President Trump signed executive orders imposing 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports. His advisers say these tariffs are economically “strategic” rather than a bargaining chip for some other goal. Is the strategy to harm U.S. manufacturers and workers? That’s what his first-term tariffs did, and it’s worth revisiting the damage of that blunder as he threatens to repeat it. …Then, as now, most U.S. metal imports came from allies including Canada, Mexico, Europe, South Korea and Japan. …The real goal of U.S. steel and aluminum companies that wanted the tariffs was to boost their bottom lines. Raising prices on foreign imports allowed them to charge more. The price was paid by U.S. secondary metal producers and downstream manufacturers. …Auto makers were another casualty. …Retaliation caused Mr. Trump to exempt Canada and Mexico as part of the renegotiated Nafta deal. …This is political rent-seeking at its most brazen, and it benefits the few at the expense of the many. [to access the full story a WSJ subscription is required]

Related coverage in Bloomberg: Canada’s business groups call for government action against steel, aluminum tariffs