The Atlantic blew it, by continuing to equivocate around whether a "trade deficit" should be considered bad in the first place. Like all these Orwellian upside-down terms [0], it should really be called a trade surplus, as in we are getting more stuff from the other country than we're giving to them! Like duh, this is a no-brainer beneficial and enviable position. And Trump's goal is to end this, presumably to turn this country into an impoverished work camp ruled over by hollow charlatans like himself.

[0] eg "the deficit" should really be named the surplus as it's money representing the collected proceeds from our world wide demurrage currency that other countries still keep buying into because using it is just that advantageous.