Trump highlights falling goods and services deficit, says tariffs have not hurt exports
President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social at 28 August 2026 at 19:06 BST: "Laura Ingraham: "Year-to-date, the goods and services deficit decreased $189.3 billion, or 33.8 percent, from the same period in 2025. Exports increased $198.3 billion or 11.7 percent." "Imports increased $9.0 billion or 0.4 percent.
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Where are all the experts who claimed that the tariffs would kill our exports?" "GOOD NEWS TUESDAY...IN ADDITION TO THE DOW AND OIL DOWN....The trade deficit is going down, and exports are up for the year so far.""
Explanation:
President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social at 28 August 2026 at 19:06 BST: the message is a direct pro-tariff signal, using year-to-date trade data to argue that tariffs have reduced the U.S. goods and services deficit while exports continue to rise. By framing the deficit down 33.8 percent and exports up 11.7 percent, he is signaling continued political backing for tariff policy and a willingness to cite trade figures as evidence that earlier warnings about export damage were overstated.
The likely impact is renewed market attention on trade policy, import costs, and supply-chain risk, especially if the administration uses this data point to defend existing tariffs or expand them. Historically, Trump has treated tariffs as leverage in trade negotiations and as a tool to narrow deficits, and his first-term trade fights with China and other partners showed that even when exports held up in some sectors, tariffs raised uncertainty and prompted retaliation risk.
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The reference to the Dow and oil down also suggests he is trying to separate trade policy from broader market weakness, which matters for investor expectations about future tariff escalation and bilateral trade talks.
#Tariffs #TradeDeficit #Exports #Imports #TruthSocial
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