Can an adorable 2nd grader help Trump understand trade deficits? Jimmy Kimmel gives it a try.

(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/Jimmy Kimmel Live)

On Thursday night, President Trump poured gas on his nascent trade war with China, saying he may impose another $100 billion in tariffs on Chinese goods, on top of the more than $50 billion his administration and Beijing have already announced for each other. This is something "just about everyone on both sides thinks is a terrible idea," Jimmy Kimmel said on Thursday's Kimmel Live. "Yesterday, he defended his plan by highlighting our trade deficit with the Chinese. He tweeted: 'When you're already $500 billion DOWN, you can't lose!' — which, by the way, is the Trump company motto."

"The thing about this tweet and the way Trump is playing this is, he seems to think that if one side has a deficit, that side is losing by $500 billion," Kimmel said. "That's not how trade deficits work. So to help the president understand it in very simple terms, we asked a second-grader named Shiloh to help explain it to him." And you know what? Shiloh did a pretty good job — Trump conceivably could learn something from her presentation, and he's not alone.

"That makes a lot of sense," Kimmel said, thanking Shiloh. "And be honest, how many of you didn't know any of that stuff either?" Kimmel raised his hand, too.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.