A boat passes alongside a cargo ship loaded with containers at the terminal of Yantian Port in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China, on October 30, 2025.
Wang Tingju | Reuters
The U.S. deficit with global trading partners nearly doubled in November as the trade deficit with the European Union widened and the impact of President Donald Trump’s tariffs spread across the economy, the Census Bureau reported Thursday.
Following a month in which the trade deficit hit its lowest level since early 2009, the trade deficit soared to $56.8 billion, an increase of 94.6% from October. About a third of this gain came from the European Union, which increased the budget deficit by $8.2 billion. The goods deficit with China decreased by about $1 billion to $13.9 billion.
Compared to the same period last year, the deficit through November was $839.5 billion, about 4% higher than the same period in 2024.
The widening deficit is a counterbalance to President Trump’s efforts to use tariffs to reduce imbalances around the world. In announcing so-called reciprocal tariffs in April 2025, the White House used the level of trade deficits with various countries as a criterion for determining tariffs.
As the year went on, President Trump softened his stance. The August framework agreement between the United States and the EU set tariffs on most European products at 15%, aiming to stabilize relations between the two countries.
Explanation: The headline on this story has been updated to clarify that the trade deficit was the reason for the 94% jump in November.
