It helps that we're still ran by geriatrics that literally have no stake in the world beyond the short term.
And American geriatrics largely despise the generations that came after them. Most not only don't want to plant trees whose shade they will never sit in, like those in a decent society would, they want to burn the trees they sat under out of spite and vanity. This tree is theirs, and all those trees over there! Make your own trees, filthy taker future people!
This is where encouraging greed and selfishness, oh I'm sorry, "rugged individualism and rational-self-interest" as our core cultural values leads, oblivion.
We also can't understate the amount of lobbying that American "manufacturers" do even when their vehicles are assembled outside of America.
Corporate profits count for GDP, so cheap foreign cars that are good for consumers makes "the economy" look bad. Because it's all about how the wealthiest are doing, not how an average American is doing.
Whenever I hear the economy is doing well I generally just think that they mean the stock market is doing well. The economy of the working class's standard of living, health, and persuit of happiness is awful.