The Trump tariffs have little to no theoretical pathway to immediate economic success, in my estimation. Some analysts think that they're overall a good idea to wrest power from the ascendant Chinese. China is going to replace any foreign investment with Keynesian stimulus, and we'll see if that messes them up at all. It's not the craziest thing in the world to turn the screws on them by reducing demand, since their aging population doesn't lead to a robust internal consumer economy yet.
The trade war is necessarily one of attrition, and I think any honest analysis is that it places national (cynically, American corporate) interests above those of constituents. This is a case where the fear of the other (racism) is probably being wielded as a club, but I'm not totally sure it's wrong.
Obama is often criticized for his penchant for "getting out of the way of history". From my perspective, a Sinocentric global economy is the most likely endpoint of nonaction. So, if you care about the concept of American exceptionalism, I can see the argument for a trade war.
I think the correct alternative tack (aggressive automation investment) also isn't great for the American blue collar worker.