The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday, March 19, edition that President Donald Trump has long viewed the U.S. trade deficit as a negative barometer of the economy. A New York Times dispatch to The Globe reports that the trade deficit is partly driven by a key factor in Mr. Trump's presidency: the rise of artificial intelligence. While it boosts the economy and stock market, it also adds to the deficit as tech companies import costly foreign computers and chips for their data centres. U.S. imports of computers, accessories and semiconductors exceeded $450-billion over the past year, jumping over 60 per cent since Mr. Trump's inauguration (all figures U.S.). Computers and electronics now represent a big portion of overall U.S. goods imports, which totalled $3.4-trillion last year. The 2025 trade deficit in goods grew to a record $1.2-trillion. In particular, the U.S. trade deficit with Taiwan, the source of the most advanced AI semiconductors, roughly doubled last year to $146-billion. Council on Foreign Relations fellow Brad Setser says the construction of AI data centres across the country was "very import intensive." Mr. Setser says a larger U.S. trade deficit in 2026 seems likely.