Imports spiked at an annual rate of 50.9% the first three months of the year and the nation’s trade deficit widened by $14 billion to a record $162 billion in March. All told, the first quarter’s yawning trade gap subtracted about 5 percentage points from economic growth.

The economy was slowed by a surge in imports as companies in the US tried to bring in foreign goods before President Donald Trump imposed massive tariffs.