Is the US making $2bn a day from tariffs? Trump claims fact-checked

President Trump has been defending his tariffs by claiming the US faces "unfair trade."

He imposed tariffs on many countries, including a 104% rate on Chinese goods. In response, China is increasing its tariffs on American imports.

Some of Trump's trade claims are unverified or incorrect. BBC Verify has investigated these statements.

Is the US making $2 billion a day from tariffs?

Trump claimed, "We're making a fortune with tariffs - $2bn a day." However, BBC Verify found no published figures to support this claim.

The US Treasury Department releases daily customs duty revenue reports. On April 7, the total was $215 million (£168 million), far below Trump's figure.

This amount may be based on future forecasts rather than current data. Last year, the US imported $9 billion (£7 billion) worth of goods daily.

Analysts estimate that Trump's average tariff rate is about 22%. If applied to import figures, this could suggest $2 billion (£1.6 billion) daily revenue. But this assumes import volumes remain constant.

Another possible source for Trump's figure is his trade advisor's statement. Peter Navarro said tariffs would raise $700 billion (£546 billion) annually, which averages to around $2 billion daily. Analysts argue that Navarro's estimate might be too high.

BBC Verify has requested evidence from the White House regarding Trump's claims.

Is the US running a $1 trillion deficit with China?

A trade deficit occurs when one country buys more than it sells to another. Trump stated, "We have a trillion dollar trade deficit with China."

While the US does have a significant trade deficit in goods with China, official figures show it was just over $295 billion (£230 billion) in 2024. This is much lower than Trump's claimed figure of $1 trillion (£780 billion).

In 2024, China exported nearly $1 trillion (£780 billion) more goods globally than it imported. However, this figure includes all countries and not just the US.

Does Canada charge 270% on US dairy products?

Trump claimed Canada imposes a 270% tariff on US dairy products. He said they charge 2% for two cartons of milk and then increase it to 270%.

Canada does have high tariffs on certain dairy products—241% for milk and up to 298% for butter—but these apply under specific conditions.

US dairy products can enter Canada duty-free or at low rates until quotas are exceeded. According to USDA data, the US exported $1.14 billion (£892 million) worth of dairy products to Canada in 2024.

Despite this volume of trade, the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) stated that "the US has never gotten close" to exceeding those quotas. The IDFA supports challenging Canada's approach but warns against a tariff war creating uncertainty for American farmers.

Trade expert David Henig noted that while Canada protects its dairy market, Trump negotiated the most recent trade deal between Canada and the US.

Does the EU import no US cars?

Trump exaggerated when he said that the EU takes "no" cars from the US. He accused the European Union (EU) of being formed "to screw the United States."

While it's true that the US imports more cars from the EU than it exports there, saying they take no cars is false. In 2024, EU imported 164,857 American-made cars valued at €7.7 billion (£6.6 billion).

Conversely, many more EU-made cars were exported to America—749,170 valued at €38.5 billion (£33.3 billion).

Trump's claim about farm products is also incorrect; in 2024, the EU purchased $12.8 billion (£10 billion) worth of U.S agricultural exports—making it America's fourth largest export market according to USDA data.