In a free and competitive global market tariffs would be paid by the consumer.
The global market isn't a free one. It is quite distorted.
It's also lopsidedly competitive with the US market demand being irreplaceable and global supply being hyper competitive.
That's pretty much what Trump is relying on, companies and nations will subsidize supply into the US market(as China has done for decades and Japan before them). If they won't someone else will.
You can argue the point of US consumer demand being irreplaceable but the mechanics of the tariff plan are sound.
Simply sticking to the "consumers pay tariffs" argument without acknowledging there's an economic basis for the counter argument is quite...simple.
Scott Besent passed economics 471 and 472 I'm sure.