The US Role in World Trade as Trump Returns to Office

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(Reuters) – U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, after his inauguration on Monday, is expected to swiftly usher in a wide range of tariffs, which could dramatically upend the movement of goods and services in coming years.

Trump has made tariffs, which were key to American tax revenue collection in the 19th century, a primary plank of his incoming economic policies, despite criticism of their effectiveness. He has floated the idea of large levees on Mexico and Canada – the country’s top two import partners – along with China, the world’s largest exporter.

Chinese trade officials said December exports surged to record levels, citing concerns about escalating trade protectionism in the U.S. Tariffs are paid by importing companies, not by exporters as Trump frequently claims.

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The United States is a large importer in numerous industries, particularly cars, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods and energy products.

The lists below show the nation’s biggest trading partners, the categories of imported goods, and the states that import the most:

Top 10 Countries the United States Imports From (Jan-Nov 2024)

Rank	Country	Amount (blns $)
1	Mexico	466.6
2	China	401.4
3	Canada	377.2
4	Germany	146.7
5	Japan	135.8
6	Vietnam	124.8
7	South Korea	120.5
8	Taiwan	106.2
9	Ireland	95.8
10	India	80.1

Top 10 U.S. Imports by End-Use Category (Jan-Nov 2024)

Rank	End-Use Category and Commodity	Amount (blns $)
1	Pharmaceutical preparations	222.61
2	Passenger cars	197.59
3	Crude oil	152.50
4	Automotive parts and accessories	133.73
5	Computers	106.27
6	Cell phones and household goods	101.71
7	Electric apparatus	92.81
8	Computer accessories	89.83
9	Industrial machinery	77.55
10	Telecommunications equipment	77.12