US trade deficit widens in April

The US trade gap widened in April for the second straight month as Americans bought more imported consumer goods, the Commerce Department reported Friday.

Despite falling oil imports and crude prices, the US trade deficit saw its biggest jump in three months, increasing 5.2 percent or $2.3 billion compared to March to $46.7 billion.

The consecutive increases in the deficit come as the Trump administration presses ahead with a nationalist trade agenda, making the elimination of bilateral trade deficits a central goal of economic policy.

President Donald Trump this week made the US trade deficit with Germany a bone of contention and the administration is reviewing trade agreements with an eye to correcting imbalances, including renegotiating the landmark North American Free Trade Agreement.

The trade deficit with Germany in goods alone was $5.5 billion in April, while the goods and services deficit for the first quarter totaled $17.2 billion. In addition to the increased deficit in April, the Commerce Department also revised the March trade deficit up by $1.6 billion.