Value vs. Price and its relation to tariffs
You asked "why is cheaper always being preferred". Well, it's not. People routinely pay more for quality. Cheaper is almost always preferred for identical products. But cheaper is not always preferred for goods that are only partial substitutes. For example, a well-made pair of shoes that will last ten years, will cost more than an equally-comfortable pair that will last one year. But will cost less than ten times as much, and many people who can afford the well-made pair, will buy them.

"I've read numerous publications citing American Steel &amp; Aluminum to be of far greater strength and quality than overseas Steel"

There are many different grades of steel. These guarantee certain proportions of metals, that in turn guarantee certain physical properties. And they come at different costs, and thus different prices. It doesn't make sense to say "this country's steel is better than that country's steel" - that's jingoism, not economics, not materials science. What matters is the grade of steel being produced, and its price.

"these Tariffs are so minuscule no one will notice them": if that was the case, there'd be no point in flouting international agreements to implement them. The big issue is that this signals an administration that is willing to cause itself and other countries economic harm, in the interest of pursuing an ignorant, silly ideology.