The United States has an annual GDP of $28 trillion. We are the world’s largest importer, but that’s because we have the No. 1 economy in the world by far. Relative to our size, imports are a much smaller percentage than most people think: We import about $3 trillion in goods from other countries each year, only about 11% of our economy. Mostly these imports are a combination of finished goods and parts we incorporate into other goods.
We export about $2 trillion in goods (7% of our economy), mostly raw materials such as soybeans and oil. These are generally raw materials that other countries need — it is harder for them to get along without oil and food than for us to re-engineer the manufacturing of finished products.
That’s why a lot of countries are lining up to make new trade deals and lower their tariffs.