While one of the stated goals of the Trump administration’s tariff policy is to close the U.S. trade deficit, the initial effect of the tariff offensive was exactly the opposite. As U.S. companies stocked up on goods and materials sourced abroad in anticipation of higher tariffs, imports of goods increased at an annual rate of 51 percent in the first quarter of 2025, resulting in the largest-ever trade deficit even after accounting for inflation....

