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A cargo ship waits at Balboa port before crossing the Panama Canal in Panama City on Tuesday. The US trade gap swelled last year to its second-largest on record, government data showed Wednesday, as deficits come under the spotlight with president Donald Trump鈥檚 return to the White House. | AFP photo

The US trade gap swelled last year to its second-largest on record, government data showed Wednesday, as deficits come under the spotlight with president Donald Trump鈥檚 return to the White House.

In 2024, the overall US trade deficit grew to $918.4 billion, widening 17 per cent from 2023 as imports ballooned more than exports, said the Commerce Department.