US rakes in over $87bn from tariffs in first half of 2025, surpassing 2024 total

The United States collected more than $87 billion in tariff revenue in the first six months of 2025 – exceeding the total amount collected in all of 2024, according to data released by the US Treasury and compiled by AFP.

The new figures show a sharp rise compared to the $79 billion collected over the entire previous year. June alone saw tariff collections surge to $26.6 billion, nearly quadrupling the amount collected in January.

The spike follows a major shift in trade policy under President Donald Trump, who, after returning to the White House, has abandoned decades of US commitment to free trade. In its place, his administration has imposed a wave of new tariffs targeting foreign trading partners and specific products such as steel and copper.

Though the US has since struck a number of trade deals with other countries, the newly negotiated terms still carry significantly higher tariff rates than those in place before Trump’s return. However, they remain lower than the steepest rates he had previously threatened to impose.

The last time US tariff revenue peaked was in 2022, when collections reached $98 billion. At the current pace, 2025 may surpass that record.

Trump, in a post on his Truth Social platform on Thursday, hailed the success of his tariff strategy, claiming it was restoring the country’s economic dominance. “ONE YEAR AGO, AMERICA WAS A DEAD COUNTRY, NOW IT IS THE ‘HOTTEST’ COUNTRY ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD,” he wrote, adding that the tariffs were making the country “great & rich again.”

The new trade deals and tariff rates are scheduled to take effect on August 1. They include a 50% levy on copper imports and new rates ranging between 11% and 50% for around 80 countries, including all 27 members of the European Union.