WASHINGTON — The Trump administration’s tariffs continued to weigh on trade in September, as imports grew just 0.6% from August to $342.1 billion, newly released data from the Commerce Department showed Thursday.

Exports rose 3% in the month, to $289.3 billion. Because exports grew by more than imports, the U.S. trade deficit shrank, in line with the Trump administration’s goals. The trade deficit in goods and services narrowed by more than 10% from the previous month, to $52.8 billion.

The data, which is compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau, showed trade recovering slightly from a sluggish month in August. That month, the president put in place sweeping tariffs that he had first announced in April, then paused for trade negotiations. In late August, the United States also canceled special

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