July 30, 2020 12:44PM 

# Mission Accomplished? 

By [Scott Lincicome](https://www.cato.org/people/scott-lincicome) 

---

<a class="js-popover-trigger cursor-pointer popover-trigger" data-bs-placement="bottom" data-bs-trigger="click" id="popover-trigger"> 

SHARE 

</a> 

“When net exports are negative, that is, when a country runs a trade deficit by importing more than it exports, this subtracts from growth.” — White House senior adviser Peter Navarro and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, [2016](https://assets.donaldjtrump.com/Trump_Economic_Plan.pdf)

[Hmm](https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=tyXp):

![net exports and GDP](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/pubs_2x/public/2020-07/fredgraph.png?itok=9WfIfggV) 

(For further insights on the trade deficit and GDP, see my Cato colleague Dan Ikenson’s work [here](https://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/navarros-trade-views-misguided-dangerous) and [here](https://www.cato.org/blog/peter-navarro-harvard-phd-economist-trade-warrior).)

##### Related Tags 

[Trade Policy](https://www.cato.org/trade-policy), [Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies](https://www.cato.org/herbert-stiefel-center-trade-policy-studies), [COVID-19](https://www.cato.org/covid-19) 

[![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) 
This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).