President Trump has long talked about reducing the trade deficit as something that will help “make America great again,” even though mainstream economists widely believe that Trump’s emphasis on the trade balance is misplaced. Nevertheless, the gap in imported and exported goods soared to an all-time high last year, largely because of Trump’s policies. As this analysis shows, that facts haven’t stopped Trump from boasting about his record over and over again with exaggerations and outright untruths. But will he pay a political price among his supporters? As Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union, put it: “Maybe 50% of Americans look at Donald Trump as struggling to accomplish things, but the other 50% looks at him as willing to take on challenges other presidents weren’t.”

Source: Los Angeles Times March 07, 2019 12:56 UTC