Jakarta. US President Donald Trump claimed on Wednesday local time that his tariff policies have greatly narrowed his country’s deficit, ahead of the trade deal signing with Indonesia.

In a post written in all caps on Truth Social, Trump boasted about how his sky-high tariffs would finally let the US enjoy a surplus in 2026. 

“The United States trade deficit has been reduced by 78% because of the tariffs being charged to other companies and countries,” Trump said.

He, however, was short on details regarding the timeframe of the 78-percent drop. Trump went on to say that the US trade would “go into positive territory during this year, for the first time in many decades.”

The latest available government data showed that the US overall trade deficit in goods and services had climbed 95% month-to-month to $56.8 billion in November 2025. In trade of goods alone, the deficit totaled $86.9 billion. The US will publish the next batch of export-import data on Thursday, Washington time. 

But the tariffs had failed to become an antidote to Washington’s negative trade balance with Indonesia. The Southeast Asian country’s surplus with the US had surged from $14.52 billion in 2024 to $18.11 billion the following year, according to the national statistics agency BPS.

At home, Indonesian businesses are waiting for good news as the clock ticks on the upcoming bilateral Indonesia-US reciprocal trade agreement. President Prabowo Subianto is currently in Washington for a jam-packed schedule that includes meeting American business circles, the Board of Peace talks, and the trade deal signing. Indonesia originally faced a 32% tariff threat, but Trump later agreed to drop it to 19% following direct dealings with Prabowo over the phone back in July. 

As per the preliminary agreement, Jakarta had agreed to give zero tariffs on US goods and give Trump access to its critical minerals. The final rounds of negotiations also granted a tariff-free entry for Indonesian palm oil. Trump had also liberated imported coffee and cocoa from his reciprocal tariffs in a separate executive order. The government has dropped hints at least twice that there could be a nice surprise waiting for Indonesia in the final document, amidst the private sector’s calls for tariff cuts on labor-intensive sectors.

“We hope there will be positive surprises from the US trade pact that will further benefit Indonesia,” Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs’ spokesman Haryo Limanseto said, not long ago.