If a US made Bolt is $1, and a Chinese one is $0.50, I buy Chinese. If now the Chinese bolt is $1, I buy American.
If China tries to reduce the price of their bolt to $0.40, making it $0.80 for me, I still buy American because of quality and speed and reputation and returns, and more.
So China makes the Bolt $0.25, I pay $0.50, and all is back to normal.
Yes I technically paid the tariff.... Except really China lost money, the US gained money, and I paid the same because that's the price difference required for me to buy Chinese.
Will it always work out like this? Idk. But this is what they are referring to when saying the exporter will pay it in the end.