I think Trump understands the nuances of trade quite well. And he's picking the right targets, which are the companies that have been offshoring production in their race to the (wage) bottom. This is a game they're all deliberately playing and not the product of a 'hidden hand' of some sort. Trump understands that an economy functions as a feedback loop where workers need sufficient income to buy the consumer products that are on offer an economy stagnates or contracts. This facilitates an understanding of the relationship between 'free trade' and the stagnation of Western economies. I think he also understands that the "Asian Tiger" model was substantially built on a foundation of trade protectionism, aspects of which survive to this day. An acquaintance who lived and worked in both South Korea and Japan a couple decades ago noticed the scarcity of non-Asian consumer goods and her inquiries about his were met with this response: 'Why would we import anything that we can make here?'