Since Trump blew the federal deficit up to $1 trillion, our trade deficit widened.
Macroeconomics 101. Simple as that.
Is the U.S. Budget Deficit Really That Bad?
Fiscal Deficit Debt Deficit/GDP Events
Year ($billions)
2000 ($236) $18 .... (2.3%) Surplus
2001 ($128) $133 .. (1.2%) 9/11 attacks, EGTRRA
2002 $158 .. $421 ... 1.4% War on Terror
2003 $378 .. $555 ... 3.3% JGTRRA
2004 $413 .. $596 ... 3.4% Iraq War
2005 $318 .. $554 ... 2.4% Katrina, Bankruptcy Act
2006 $248 .. $574 ... 1.8% Bernanke chairs Fed
2007 $161 .. $501 ... 1.1% Bank crisis
2008 $459 .. $1,017 . 3.1% Bank bailout, QE
2009 $1,413 $1,632 9.8% Stimulus Act. Bank bailout cost $250B, ARRA added $241.9B
2010 $1,294 $1,905 8.6% Obama tax cuts, ACA, Simpson-Bowles
2011 $1,300 $1,229 8.3% Debt crisis, recession and tax cuts reduced revenue
2012 $1,087 $1,276 6.7% Fiscal cliff
2013 $679 .. $672 ... 4.0% Sequester, government shutdown
2014 $485 .. $1,086 2.7% Debt ceiling
2015 $438 .. $327 ... 2.4% Defense = $736.4B
2016 $585 . $1,423 3.1% Defense = $767.6B
2017 $665 .. $672 ... 3.4% Defense = $817.9B
2018 $779 .. $1,217 4.0% Defense = $890.8B. Trump tax cuts
The red years are the years with over a trillion USD in Federal budget deficits.
This is clearly not due to Trump.
We take in record revenues every year, but manage to spend it all like drunken sailors, apologies to drunken sailors everywhere.
The root problem is the Tammany Hall patronage network that FDR brought to DC from New York. It has reached its saturation point and needs to be torn from the ground by the roots, but vested interests in the Deep State are fighting Trump every step of the way.