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Data from the U.S. Commerce Department showed that the U.S. trade deficit remained virtually unchanged during April, a further indication that tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration have so far failed to fundamentally alter the United States’ position as a major net importer globally.
According to the data, US imports rose 2% in April to $383 billion, while exports increased 2.6% to $327.1 billion. As a result, the trade deficit reached $55.9 billion, a slight decrease of 1.2% compared to March, and very close to analysts’ expectations of a $56.1 billion deficit.
The report reflects the continued strength of US demand for imported goods and technology, particularly with the acceleration of investments in artificial intelligence infrastructure. Semiconductor imports rose by approximately $1.7 billion during the month, and computer imports increased by about $2.2 billion, indicating a continued surge in spending on data centers, servers, and the computing power needed to run AI applications.
In contrast, US exports saw some improvement, with aircraft exports rising by $1 billion compared to March. Crude oil exports also benefited from the turmoil in global energy markets amid tensions related to the Iran-Israel conflict, increasing by approximately $6.4 billion during the month.
Despite more than a year of frequent changes to US tariff policies, data indicates that these measures have led to significant fluctuations in trade flows without fundamentally altering the US trade balance. Since the start of President Trump’s second term, the average monthly US trade deficit has been slightly over $70 billion, compared to an average of approximately $72 billion per month during the administration of former President Joe Biden.
Over the past year, the Trump administration frequently used tariffs as a bargaining chip in trade and geopolitical relations with several countries. However, the pace of these measures slowed in 2026 after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the administration could not use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose broad, sweeping tariffs.
Despite this, the administration continued to seek other tools to restrict imports. Last February, it imposed a general tariff of 10% on imports under temporary authorities set to expire in July. Last week, the administration also proposed additional tariffs of up to 12.5% on a group of 60 countries, ostensibly to combat products linked to forced labor.
Observers believe that the April figures confirm that reshaping the US trade balance is a more complex process than simply imposing tariffs, especially given the continued reliance of the US economy on imports of technology, industrial components, and consumer goods from abroad, along with strong growth in sectors such as artificial intelligence, which require increasing quantities of electronic chips and advanced computing equipment.
