Are US tariffs bringing in $2 billion a day?

President Trump has defended his broad tariff measures by claiming the US is a victim of "unfair trade," and has introduced import taxes on goods from multiple countries—including a 104% tariff on imports from China. In retaliation, China has raised its own tariffs on American goods.

Some of the President’s trade-related statements, however, lack evidence or are inaccurate. BBC Verify has examined one of his recent claims.

Trump recently stated: “We’re making a fortune with tariffs — $2 billion a day.”

However, BBC Verify found no official data to support this figure.

The US Treasury Department releases daily reports detailing customs duty revenue. On 7 April, for example, the total collected was $215 million—a figure that reflects the effect of earlier tariffs, but is far below the claimed $2 billion.

It’s possible Trump was referencing projections rather than actual revenue.

The US imported around $9 billion worth of goods per day last year. If the average tariff rate were 22% (a figure some analysts estimated as of 2 April), that could theoretically generate about $2 billion per day. But this assumes no drop in import volume, which is unlikely, since high tariffs often reduce trade flows.

Here's a polished and clarified rewrite of your full passage, keeping it neutral and easy to follow:

China retaliates with 84% tariffs on US goods as Trump trade war escalates

What are tariffs and why is Trump using them?

How were Donald Trump's tariffs calculated?

Could Trump’s $2 billion-a-day claim come from Navarro?

Another possible source for Trump’s "$2 billion a day" figure is a statement from his trade advisor, Peter Navarro, made on 6 April. Navarro claimed that tariffs would generate $700 billion (£546 billion) a year (CNN report). That would average out to about $2 billion per day.

However, it’s unclear how Navarro arrived at that number. Many analysts have questioned it, suggesting the actual figure could be significantly lower. BBC Verify has contacted the White House for clarification on Trump’s source.

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

Trump has also stated, “We have a trillion dollar trade deficit with China.”

It is true that the US runs a significant trade deficit in goods with China, but official data for 2024 puts that figure at just over $295 billion (£230 billion) (source). That’s far short of the $1 trillion Trump claimed.

Globally, China did have a total trade surplus—exporting nearly $1 trillion more than it imported in 2024 (source). But that figure reflects China's trade balance with all countries, not just the US. So while the US-China trade imbalance is large, it’s not as extreme as Trump suggests.

Let me know if you'd like this adapted into a visual summary or bullet-point breakdown.