Reagan, during his presidency, did not hide his scorn for those who equated tariffs with patriotism.
“Today, protectionism is being used by some American politicians as a cheap form of nationalism,” Reagan said in a 1988 radio address. He called tariffs and protectionism “a fig leaf for those unwilling to maintain America’s military strength, and who lack the resolve to stand up to real enemies — countries that would use violence against us or our allies.”
…
It is hard to overstate what Reagan, with his image of homespun strength and optimism, has represented for Republicans since he left office in 1989. In extolling military power, free trade and small government, Reagan laid out principles that guided the Republican Party for decades. Nothing burnished Reagan’s image like his determination to stand up to the Soviet Union, including his famous speech in Berlin urging Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this wall.”
President Reagan’s Radio Address to the Nation on International Free Trade on November 20, 1982: