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Trade

Scorecard

true
0% 23 Checks
mostly true
0% 45 Checks
half true
0% 57 Checks
mostly false
0% 45 Checks
false
0% 56 Checks
Pants on Fire
0% 12 Checks
For more details, see the Principles of PolitiFact

All Fact-checks for Trade

Chris Wright
Chris Wright
stated on March 12, 2026 an interview with Fox News:
The U.S. produces “more oil than we can consume. We’re a net oil exporter.”
Half-True
By Louis Jacobson • March 13, 2026
Abigail Spanberger
Abigail Spanberger
stated on February 24, 2026 the Democratic response to Trump's State of the Union address:
President Donald Trump’s tariff policies “have forced American families to pay more than $1,700 each in tariff costs” since last year.
Mostly True
By Loreben Tuquero, Zoe Weyand • February 25, 2026
Major Gross Profit
Major Gross Profit
stated on January 16, 2026 an email:
“Trump’s $2,000 tariff dividend is live but you must act.”
False
By Paul Specht • January 23, 2026
Donald Trump
Donald Trump
stated on December 9, 2025 public events:
The U.S. has received promises of investments totaling $18 trillion to $22 trillion since January.
False
By Louis Jacobson, Nick Karmia • December 9, 2025
Donald Trump
Donald Trump
stated on November 12, 2025 an X post:
“My tariffs … are helping to slash the deficit this year by more than 25%.”
False
By Louis Jacobson • November 14, 2025
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute
stated on October 23, 2025 a statement on X:
An ad from the government of Ontario, Canada, “misrepresents” President Ronald Reagan’s April 25, 1987, address about tariffs.
Mostly False
By Amy Sherman, Louis Jacobson • October 24, 2025
Ritchie Torres
Ritchie Torres
stated on July 20, 2025 an interview on CNN's "State of the Union":
“Since Donald Trump's inauguration, we have seen an 11% decline in the value of the dollar, the steepest decline in more than a half a century.”
Mostly True
By Louis Jacobson • July 25, 2025
U.S. Trade Representative
U.S. Trade Representative
stated on July 20, 2025 a social media post:
“America had a trade surplus in ice cream in 2020 under President Trump's leadership, but that surplus turned into a trade deficit of $40.6 million under President Biden's watch.”
Mostly True
By Gabrielle Lazor • July 24, 2025
Howard Lutnick
Howard Lutnick
stated on July 20, 2025 an interview with CBS' "Face the Nation":
Tariffs are “going to pay off our deficit.”
False
By Louis Jacobson • July 22, 2025
Scott Bessent
Scott Bessent
stated on May 18, 2025 remarks on NBC's "Meet the Press":
“Gasoline prices have collapsed under President Trump."
Mostly False
By Louis Jacobson • May 20, 2025
Donald Trump
Donald Trump
stated on May 8, 2025 an event in the White House:
Declining cargo traffic at U.S. ports “means we lose less money. … When you say it's slowed down, that's a good thing.”
False
By Louis Jacobson • May 16, 2025
Charles Blow
Charles Blow
stated on May 5, 2025 a CNN NewsNight episode:
“China makes 80% of all toys” and “90% of all Christmas goods” sold in the U.S.
True
By Loreben Tuquero • May 9, 2025
Charles Schumer
Charles Schumer
stated on April 27, 2025 an interview on CNN's "State of the Union":
“It's estimated” that President Donald Trump’s tariffs will mean “American families would have to pay about $4,000 more a year.”
Mostly True
By Louis Jacobson • May 5, 2025
Donald Trump
Donald Trump
stated on April 9, 2025 remarks at a White House event:
In 2024, “China made $1 trillion off trade with the United States.”
False
By Louis Jacobson • April 11, 2025
Donald Trump
Donald Trump
stated on April 8, 2025 a speech:
The U.S. is “taking in almost $2 billion a day in tariffs.”
False
By Amy Sherman • April 10, 2025
Brooke Rollins
Brooke Rollins
stated on April 6, 2025 an interview:
“We had an agriculture export deficit that increased from zero when President Trump left to $49 billion” under former President Joe Biden.
Mostly False
By Maria Ramirez Uribe • April 9, 2025
Donald Trump
Donald Trump
stated on April 9, 2025 a Truth Social post:
On enacting country-by-country tariffs April 9.
Full Flop
By Amy Sherman • April 9, 2025
Donald Trump
Donald Trump
stated on March 26, 2025 an interview with Newsmax:
“We have automobile plants being built at levels we've never seen … and they're going up fast.”
Mostly False
By Louis Jacobson • March 28, 2025
Karoline Leavitt
Karoline Leavitt
stated on March 11, 2025 a White House press briefing:
“Tariffs are a tax cut for the American people.”
False
By Louis Jacobson • March 13, 2025
Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris
stated on August 22, 2024 her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention:
Former President Donald Trump "intends to enact what, in effect, is a national sales tax ... that would raise prices on middle-class families by almost $4,000 a year."
Half-True
By Louis Jacobson • August 30, 2024
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Latest promises about Trade

Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Add a 60% tariff on goods from China
Supreme Court restricts president’s ability to unilaterally set high Chinese tariffs | February 20, 2026
Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Add a tariff of 10% to 20% to all nondomestic goods sold in America
Supreme Court deals setback to across-the-board tariffs | February 20, 2026
Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Institute a reciprocal tariff policy
Supreme Court decision throws reciprocal tariff policy for another loop | February 20, 2026
Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Adopt a four-year plan to phase out Chinese imports
Trump has not released a four-year plan to phase out China imports | February 19, 2026
Joe Biden
Joe Biden
Award federal contracts to companies that make all products in US
Biden strengthened Buy American rules, but contractors still manufacture outside U.S. | December 16, 2024
Joe Biden
Joe Biden
Allow import of prescription drugs from other countries
Biden FDA approves Florida request to import drugs from Canada, but state didn’t act | December 6, 2024
Joe Biden
Joe Biden
Establish an offshoring tax penalty
Laws targeting overseas tax dodges fail to emerge from Congress | December 2, 2024
Joe Biden
Joe Biden
Change tax code so pharmaceutical production stays in the US
Joe Biden fails to change the tax code to keep pharmaceutical companies’ production in the U.S. | December 2, 2024
Joe Biden
Joe Biden
Tighten ‘Made In America’ rules
New rules gradually raise the bar for Made-in-America | July 13, 2022
Joe Biden
Joe Biden
Use the Defense Production Act to produce personal protective equipment
Biden administration has been using the Defense Production Act to fight the pandemic | December 22, 2021
Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Raise tariffs on goods imported into the U.S.
Trump sticks by promise to raise import tariffs | July 15, 2020
Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Use U.S. steel for infrastructure projects
Trump issues executive order on steel, and imports drop | July 15, 2020
Latest promises about Trade