Some distributors of beef, coffee, chocolate and other staples have raised prices since Trump’s tariffs took effect this year.
By María Ortiz
Los Angeles, November 14 (LaOpinión).- The President Donald Trump exempted Friday from his duty higher to agricultural imports such as coffee, cocoa, bananas and certain meat products, through a executive order.
The decision occurs when Trump faces criticism of his tariff policy for the high prices of the food in American supermarkets.
The new waivers take effect retroactively at midnight Thursday and represent a sharp turn for Trump, who has long insisted that his import tariffs are not fueling inflation.
On Friday morning, the President stated on Truth Social that “costs under the Trump administration are plummeting.”
In a fact sheet, the White House stated that Trump was “strengthening the U.S. economy and national security by modifying the scope of reciprocal tariffs” and that “given substantial progress in reciprocal trade negotiations” it was now “necessary and appropriate to further modify the scope of reciprocal tariffs.”
Some distributors of beef, coffee, chocolate and other staples have raised prices since Trump’s tariffs took effect this year, adding to the strain on household budgets already high due to decades-long inflation.
The measure announced by Trump on Friday also exempts from high tariffs on a variety of fruits, including tomatoes, avocados, coconuts, oranges and pineapples. In addition to coffee, tariff reductions extend to black and green tea, and spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg.
Trump has insisted that tariffs are necessary to protect American businesses and workers and said that ultimately American consumers will not pay the cost of higher tariffs.
The United States government reduces tariffs on agricultural products after these decisions impacted food prices. This demonstrates that the agricultural products that arrive there from various parts of the world become necessary for supply…
— Martha Carvajalino (@MCarvajalinoV) November 15, 2025
The exemptions were ordered just a day after Trump reached trade framework agreements with four Latin American countries, which include tariffs of 10 percent on most products from Argentina, Guatemala and El Salvador, and 15 percent on those from Ecuador.
Voters participating in the midterm elections earlier this month cited economic concerns as their top issue, resulting in big victories for Democrats in elections in Virginia and New Jersey.