President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping leave a business leaders event at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Nov. 9, 2017. A broader measure of the nation’s trade performance, which includes the services sector, showed a $621 billion deficit. Trump persists with the import levies even as some supporters also push for him to act on other forces fueling the trade deficit, including a robust dollar. The best chance of the trade deficit shrinking anytime soon would require an economic downturn that no one wants. In a 2016 campaign speech in Pennsylvania, Trump called the trade deficit a “politician-made disaster” and promised swift change.

Source: Washington Post March 06, 2019 11:35 UTC