Official data from the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reveals that, since April 5, the agency has collected only US$500 million (approximately HK$3.88 billion) in reciprocal tariffs. Since US President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20, the average daily tariff revenue has been less than US$250 million (approximately HK$1.94 billion). This figure is significantly lower than Trump's claims of US$2 billion (approximately HK$15.52 billion) in daily tariff revenue—just one-eighth of his touted amount.
In recent public appearances, Trump has repeatedly exaggerated the US revenue generated from his tariff policies. During a speech at the Republican National Committee, he claimed that the US was earning a massive amount of money, up to US$2 billion a day through tariffs. However, CBP's latest data indicates that cumulative tariff revenue collected since April 5 totals just US$500 million.
Furthermore, since Trump assumed office, the total tariff revenue from 15 presidential trade actions amounts to US$21 billion (approximately HK$163 billion), averaging less than US$250 million per day—far below Trump's proclaimed figure.
CBP data has effectively debunked Trump's exaggerated claims while also illustrating the challenges the agency faces under his tariff policies. Last Friday, CBP's customs system suffered a 10-hour outage, paralyzing operations as it became impossible to input exemption codes for goods. This led to significant delays, with large volumes of inbound goods left stranded at ports.
The agency is also grappling with severe staffing shortages. Reports indicate a personnel shortfall of 5,850 workers, while the current recruitment budget only supports hiring 150 additional employees. With a wave of retirements on the horizon, major US ports of entry could face operational paralysis due to the lack of trained personnel.
(Source: Wen Wei Po)
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