CXRAndy
Veteran
To me Trump's focus on bilateral trade deficits is just daft and highlights his failure to understand anything not corresponding to his simplistic preconceptions.
eg
Country A buys $100 of stuff from country B but sells only $10 to them.Country B buys $100 of stuff from country C but sells only $10 to them.Country C buys $100 of stuff from country A but sells only $10 to them.
They all have big bilateral trade deficits but the 3 way system is in balance with no overall surpluses or deficits (ignoring my typo/finger troubles).
Ian
It's the trade barriers, not the actual figure. People will decide if they want to buy American if it's available on the shelf, so to speak