China, in his words · Between terms · № 85
Says China was ripping off the United States for $500 billion a year
“China was ripping us off $500 billion a year. Europe, they sound nice, but they rip us. They're almost as bad as China.”
- Said
- , Interview on Fox News, Fox & Friends
- Subject
- trade deficit
- Threat
- Economic threat
- Topic
- Trade & tariffs
- Era
- Between terms
What the record showed
Census Bureau data show the U.S. goods trade deficit with China was $346.8 billion in 2016, the year before he took office, and peaked at $418.2 billion in 2018, during his first term. It was $352.8 billion in 2021, the year of the interview. He repeated the figure in a CNBC interview on March 11, 2024, putting it at "$507 billion a year." In 2025, the first year of his second term, the deficit was $202.7 billion.