The official White House account on X (formerly Twitter) marked Labor Day with a celebratory post touting the success of President Donald Trump’s trade policies. The post, however, quickly sparked confusion and scrutiny after it claimed that tariffs had generated “$8 trillion in tariff revenue” for the United States.

The image, featuring Trump outside the White House holding a signed document, included bold text reading, “President Trump’s protectionist trade policies have helped drive more than $8 trillion in new U.S. investment, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs”:

The Numbers Don’t Add Up

The main issue, however, is that $8 trillion in tariff revenue is highly implausible. According to the U.S. Treasury Department, total tariff collections during 2025 so far have amounted to $142 billion, however. While tariff revenues are on the rise, the amount is overstated by many multiples. 

By contrast, $8 trillion would equal nearly a third of the U.S. GDP — an amount impossible to generate from tariffs in such a short period.

The image attached to the post is most likely a typo, as the original post states “President Trump’s protectionist trade policies have helped drive more than $8 trillion in new U.S. investment, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs.”

Meaning the amount was likely supposed to represent the claimed $8 trillion in new investments coming into the U.S. While the total amount is difficult to confirm, it’s similarly not clear what this is based on or when the money will be invested. Other claims have come in from the Trump Administration putting the number at “almost $10 trillion.” While the numbers might be inflated, there has been a notable increase in U.S.-based investments in recent months due to massive investments being made in artificial intelligence. And, notwithstanding any counterbalancing downsides, there have been massive investments made in the U.S. in response to Trump’s tariffs. 

Official Communications?

The discrepancy raises questions about the vetting of official White House communications. Posts on the administration’s official account are intended to represent official policy and data, and errors can have outsized political consequences.

The wording of the caption suggests the administration may have meant to highlight investment rather than tariff revenue, but the graphic’s headline makes the distinction unclear. Critics argue this kind of confusion feeds misinformation about the actual impacts of tariffs, which remain a contentious political issue.

Labor Day and the Politics of Jobs

The timing of the post — on Labor Day — underscores the Trump administration’s effort to frame tariffs and trade wars as tools of economic nationalism and job creation. The White House claimed that Trump’s protectionist measures have spurred “hundreds of thousands of new jobs.”

While tariffs have indeed led to certain domestic investments, studies show they also raised costs for U.S. businesses and consumers, with mixed results on employment. Independent reviews from the Congressional Budget Office and think tanks suggest the job benefits were modest and offset by losses in other sectors.