You have got to be kidding me

If I did not know the source, I might have thought that this report was from The Onion:

The Trump administration is considering changing how U.S. trade deficits are calculated, a move that would make the deficit look larger on paper, the Wall Street Journal reported.  

People involved in the discussions told the Journal that the leading idea is to count �re-exports� � goods that are imported to the U.S., and then exported to a third country unchanged � as imports, but not exports.

The change would inflate the trade deficit number, an important figure in trade negotiations and policy.