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.
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.