He's just appealing to his base. Most of the job losses in the rust belts are due to technological change. Hardly anyone talks about this unpleasant fact.
But Trump does have a point on forced technological transfer and IP theft. It's just that the situation is complex because many US companies were complicit, in agreeing to this, and traded off the future of the US markets by seeking short term gain.
Very poor strategy. The Chinese play the long game.
