The US trade deficit ballooned to $56.8 billion in November 2025, crushing economists’ forecasts of $43.4 billion and nearly doubling from October’s revised $29.2 billion. The magnitude of the surge in trade deficit signals intensifying import pressure as American consumers and businesses continue shopping abroad.

CBO forecast shows Trump’s economic policies are worsening the country’s fiscal picture Read more at The Business Times.

A closer look at trade data shows that fears of tariffs that never materialized—rather than actual tariffs—drove October’s trade deficit down.

Through President Donald Trump's first full 10 months in office, the cumulative U.S. trade deficit in goods and services was down 3.9% from the same period in 2024. His claim that he has "slashed our trade deficit by 77%" appears to compare the monthly trade deficit in January 2025 to the deficit nine months later in October.

The news: The US trade deficit widened in November 2025 from its lowest level since 2009 , as imports climbed and exports decreased. The numbers: Data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Thursday shows the US goods and services trade gap jumped to USD56.

WASHINGTON, Jan 29 (Reuters) - The U.S. trade deficit widened by the most in nearly 34 years in November amid a surge in capital goods imports, likely driven by an artificial intelligence investment boom,