They said tariffs would choke off international trade. They said tariffs would crush the American taxpayers with increased costs and higher prices. They said that tariffs would make the federal debt skyrocket. They said that tariffs would ultimately be self-defeating.
They were wrong. At least, so far.
Look, I was never a fan of tariffs. I was and am (mostly) a Randian free-trader. But President Trump ran on the notion of hammering tariffs on nations with whom we had made bad trade deals, deals in which America was getting taken to the cleaners. It's working. It's all working. Other nations are lining up to make new deals; several have already been made, and in the meantime, that tariff cash is flowing into American coffers - $31.3 billion in September.
The U.S. government collected $31.3 billion in tariff revenue in September, highlighting the scale of President Donald Trump's tariffs as a steady source of federal income.
That total was $73 million below the August record, bringing cumulative collections for 2025 to $214.9 billion, according to Treasury Department data released Sept. 29.
Tariff revenues rose steadily from $17.4 billion in April to $23.9 billion in May, before climbing to $28 billion in June and reaching $29 billion in July.
Tariff revenues started to move up shortly after President Trump took office, and have seemed to level off, albeit considerably higher than at 2024 levels.
Tariffs, we should note, do add a cost to imported goods. Some of that cost is passed on to consumers. Some is eaten by the producers or the importers. Every product is different, and the added cost dealt with differently, but those are the broad strokes. But in the meantime, the rest of the world is coming to the bargaining table. As of September 30th, the Commerce Department states that there have been $170 billion in foreign government contracts since President Trump resumed office. These deals are expected to produce 600,000 American jobs and $144 billion in revenues.
The aerospace and defense sector took the lion's share, securing $153 billion in signed contracts. Other deals included about $5 billion in nuclear, oil and gas projects, $800 million in information technology, and more than $600 million in safety and security equipment.
Commerce officials said the latest tally underscores a renewed focus to prioritize U.S. industry and competitiveness abroad.
"The record-breaking U.S. business wins under President Trump's leadership reflect an unwavering commitment to rebuilding U.S. industry for the American worker," Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said in a statement.
By way of comparison, at this point in his (thankfully) one-term administration, "Autopen Joe" Biden's administration had only approved $12 billion in such agreements. The USA has trade deals with the United Kingdom and Vietnam, and is negotiating with other nations, including, notably, China.
This sure seems like it's working.
Read More: Here's Everything We Know About President Trump's TikTok Deal With China
Make Hollywood Great Again? Trump Plans Huge Tariffs on Films Made Outside of US
I'm still a Randian free-trader at heart. The best global economy would be one of trade, not trade barriers; all nations trading freely with each other. But that's probably expecting too much of people in general, and for now, it sure seems like President Trump's approach is working. The rest of the world is anxious to make deals with the United States, and in time, those deals will be made, and part of those deals will probably be a relaxing of Trump's tariffs.
In the meantime, though, we'll take the cash.
Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.
Help us continue to report the truth about the Schumer Shutdown. Use promo code POTUS47 to get 74% off your VIP membership.