President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday rolling back tariffs on a broad range of grocery staples — including beef, coffee, tomatoes, and bananas — in a move aimed at lowering food prices and fulfilling his pledge to make life more affordable for American families. The order exempts certain imported agricultural products from reciprocal tariffs imposed under earlier trade actions.

The White House said the changes target items that have seen sharp price increases or cannot be produced in sufficient quantities domestically.

“I have determined that certain agricultural products shall not be subject to the reciprocal tariff imposed [under previous orders],” the president’s directive said.

The move follows months of economic debate over the role of tariffs in driving up consumer prices. Trump’s team has long defended the duties as a cost borne by foreign exporters, not U.S. consumers. But the decision to scale them back has prompted critics to argue it amounts to a quiet acknowledgment that tariffs can, in fact, contribute to inflation.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent previewed the announcement earlier this week, telling Fox News that the administration would lift tariffs on imported items Americans rely on daily but don’t grow domestically. “You’re going to see some substantial announcements over the next couple of days in terms of things we don’t grow here in the United States — coffee being one of them, bananas, other fruits, things like that,” Bessent said. “That will bring the prices down very quickly.”

The White House cast the move as part of Trump’s broader economic strategy to “restore affordability,” particularly as Democrats have made rising household costs a central line of attack. Inflation has cooled from pandemic-era highs but remains stubborn across key food categories.

“Tariffs are a tax hike on foreign countries that have been ripping us off,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said earlier this year, insisting the administration’s trade agenda was designed to protect American industry.

Advertisement
Critics, however, seized on Friday’s order as proof that the policy had backfired.

“So, the administration that said all year that their tariffs don’t affect U.S. consumer prices — and mocked anyone who disagreed — now says that cutting those same tariffs will spur consumer savings? Comical stuff,” wrote Scott Lincicome, vice president of economics at the libertarian Cato Institute.

The tariff rollback follows a series of bilateral trade deals struck this week with Argentina, Guatemala, Ecuador, and El Salvador, which will slash duties on imported produce that cannot be grown in bulk in the U.S., such as bananas.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the move reflects the natural give-and-take of international negotiations.

“Now we have a critical mass of agreements with countries who make this stuff, so this is good timing,” Greer said on CNBC. He characterized Trump’s approach as using tariffs to gain leverage and then adjusting them when American consumers or businesses would benefit.

The National Coffee Association welcomed the decision, calling it a boost for consumers and the U.S. economy.

Play

Next
Unmute
Current Time
0:00
/
Duration
4:37

Captions
Fullscreen
“This will ease cost-of-living pressures for the two-thirds of American adults who rely on coffee each day, as well as secure coffee supplies for the U.S. companies who turn every $1 in coffee imports into $43 of U.S. economic value,” said NCA President Bill Murray.

But not every industry was pleased. The Distilled Spirits Council said it was “disappointed” that imported liquors from Europe and the U.K. — such as Scotch, Cognac, and Irish whiskey — were not included in the tariff relief package.

“Not including EU and U.K. spirits on the list of tariff modifications is yet another blow to the U.S. hospitality industry just as the critical holiday season kicks into high gear,” said Council President Chris Swonger.

While the administration framed the order as a sign of Trump’s responsiveness to middle-class concerns, economists said it also reflected the political pressure the White House faces heading into 2026 to curb food inflation without cutting domestic farm subsidies or broader trade protections.