I don't mock tradespeople. There are 3 million unfilled trade jobs in this country and people should fill them.

First of all the rust belt was a once industrial area-- not trades, skill-less manufacturing jobs and similar. Anyone with a degree from a good school has more market skills than an ex rust belt employee.

I never said that those job functions weren't necessary, but those jobs aren't coming back. Not because they were offshored (and btw of all jobs the us has offshored the largest share has been offshored to the U.K.), but because even if you did impose a tariff that is worldwide and substantial enough to bring manufacturing back home (which could wipe out ~50% of the poorest 10% of American's take home income due to increased consumer prices), the jobs would be automated.

And price of labor is not determined by necessity of that labor to baseline survival-- it's determined by these things us city folk call supply and demand.

Idk why you think 'academic skills' aren't valuable given that college graduates have much higher median incomes than people with less educational attainment.