“US trade deficit hits record high in January on imports surge”
March 6, 2025
“…The trade gap surged 34.0% to an all-time high of $131.4 billion from a revised $98.1 billion in December, the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) said on Thursday. The percentage change was the largest since March 2015.
Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the trade deficit soaring to $127.4 billion from the previously reported $98.4 billion in December. President Donald Trump this week slapped a new 25% tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada and doubled duties on Chinese goods to 20%, triggering a trade war.
Imports soared 10.0%, the most since July 2020, to $401.2 billion. Goods imports increased a record 12.3% to an all-time high of $329.5 billion. They were driven by a $23.1 billion increase in imports of industrial supplies and materials, mostly reflecting finished metal shapes, which are probably gold….”
This is not linked to tariffs. This is December which was before tariffs. It’s actually amazing how much the news lies.