Fact Check: Harris Falsely Claims Trump Trade Deficit Was ‘Highest Even Seen In History of America’

Claim: Kamala Harris said in the presidential debate Tuesday night that the trade deficit was one of the highest ever seen in U.S. history.

“The Trump administration resulted in a trade deficit — one of the highest we’ve ever seen in the history of America,” Harris said.

Verdict: FALSE.

The trade deficit climbed to around $653 billion in Trump’s final year as president, in part because of depressed global demand for U.S. goods and services and a U.S. economy that recovered sooner than most other developed economies. But it never rose to the levels seen under President George W. Bush or the Biden-Harris administration.

In fact, the trade deficit under Biden-Harris has never been as low as it was under Trump.