What’s so bad about a trade deficit?

Enlarge this image Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images President Trump claims a main goal of his crippling tariffs is to address the U.S. trade deficit. So is the U.S. trade deficit a problem? On today’s show, why we’ll never have a trade surplus with every single country; what the benefits of a trade deficit are; and whether or not the trade deficit affects jobs. Related episodes:Tariffied! We check in on businesses (Apple / Spotify) Why there’s no referee for the trade war (Apple / Spotify) Common economic myths, debunked (Apple / Spotify) For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Sponsor Message Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.