Donald Trump's straight-from-the-gut Trump casino economics is wrong-headed and is increasing the trade deficit rather than reducing it. This time Donald Trump's father Fred isn't around to buy US casino economy chips and save Donald Trump's ass as the US economy races towards another Trump chapter 11. The sorry bunch of anus-kissers and sycophants that calls itself the GOP is dazed and helpless as Trump ravages the US economy. The US is headed in a wrong-headed direction and is becoming friendless in the international political environment, except for those 'friends' who are bought with big swathes of US loans and grants. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/06/us/politics/us-trade-deficit.html
I'm opposed to protectionism and "free trade". I support free trade. Unfortunately, that's not on offer from anyone as far as I can tell.
If Trump-anus-kissing was an internationally demanded product, like it is among GOP lawmakers, the USA would have no deficit.
It's not available in the US either as agriculture, automobiles, and WMD are protected industries receiving subsidies or protection from competition. Perhaps its the lack of free trade in the USA which has led to the trade imbalance as American companies are increasingly unable to compete internationally. On top of that, Donald Trump is trashing brand America which has more than 100 years of investment in the brand that Trump is trashing.
On manufacturing? Oh, that's simple. You cant compete with jurisdictions with no minimum wage, minimal labor laws, etc. The explosion of cost of living associated with the move to a services based information age economy has made manufacturing untenable even in the absence of totalitarian restrictions on the workers right to choose.
The US still leads the world in the manufacture of excuses. World trade leads to interdependency and cooperation. Protectionism and isolationism lead to controversy, conflict, and war. The real problem America is facing is that it is losing its technological lead and developing countries are equalling or surpassing the US in some technology. Chinese lead in supercomputers is an example. The Chinese are also believed to lead in military application of lasers. https://www.eetasia.com/news/article/18111301-china-extends-supercomputer-lead
As I said, i support free trade, just not "free trade" - holding free trade hostage to enforce regulatory compliance.