I think he's well aware that the reasons he is giving for his actions make no sense. That doesn't mean he doesn't have a plan, he's just lying about it.
As for the actions themselves, they're pretty much his standard operating procedure:
> I think I can get away with bullying these people, so I will
When he talks about the existing agreements being unfair, he means that we have leverage that we're not using. The proposed tariffs are proportional to the trade deficit because the trade deficit is a reasonable proxy for how invested that country is in its economic relations with the US. You can extort more from somebody who is heavily invested, and less from somebody who is lightly invested. It's a classic protection racket, just on a sliding scale.
He's trying to look ignorant because it's at least a better look than showing the malice that actually drives him.
Ever since the tariffs were first announced I've been trying to understand if there is any method to the madness.
There is sound reasoning behind the tariffs, and I can at least understand the motivations. However, to execute the vision behind the tariffs would be tantamount to severely contracting the American economy, and the voters would never agree to go hungry in order to militarily independent.
He knows what he's doing, but him and his ilk are openly lying to the American public because no one would ever agree to it.
