In a (somewhat ironic) recent interview with Fox Business, newly-installed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent gave special mention to the “Dirty 15.” This group would include countries that run high trade surpluses with the United States. This derogatory term, never formally acknowledged by the Trump administration, meant countries that were large contributors to the United States’ trade deficit. National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett supported this notion, stating that 10 to 15 countries account for most of the U.S. trade imbalance.
As the Dirty 15 has become a catch-all, Bessent says it’s a misnomer. It’s not an actual or official list, but USTR officials have used it to call attention to serious, widespread trade abuses. The nations that make up this group are not identified by name, and they can change from year to year as trade patterns rearrange to meet changing market pressures. Though informal in usage, the term captures a chronic problem within U.S. international trade relations.
The “Dirty 15” highlights countries with large trade surpluses with the U.S. It fails to rank those with the biggest deficits. The idea is more an intellectual basis for addressing decades-old trade imbalances than a specific policy blueprint. The Trump administration has never come up with an official list, and the language is not consistently used or widely embraced by government officials.
While the “Dirty 15” has made an impact as a discussion and advocacy tool, the creation of a trade policy—official or unofficial—based on this list would be dangerous. Its vagueness emphasizes this position intently. The administration has so far failed to act decisively with definitive policy changes utilizing this classification. Yet the term is purely symbolic, highlighting the complexity and continuing plight of working to rectify global trade inequities.