US trade deficit declined in 2025 — but America imported a record amount despite Trump tariffs

Source: New York Post

The US trade deficit slipped modestly in 2025, a year in which President Trump upended global commerce by slapping double digit tariffs on imports from most countries. But the gap in the trade of goods such machinery and aircraft — the main focus of Trump’s protectionist policies — hit a record last year despite sweeping import taxes. Overall, the gap the between the goods and services the US sells other countries and what it buys from them narrowed to just over $901 billion, from $904 billion in 2024, but it was still the third-highest on record, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.