President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday rolling back tariffs on a broad range of grocery staples \u2014 including beef, coffee, tomatoes, and bananas \u2014 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.<\/p>\n
The White House said the changes target items that have seen sharp price increases or cannot be produced in sufficient quantities domestically.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have determined that certain agricultural products shall not be subject to the reciprocal tariff imposed [under previous orders],\u201d the president\u2019s directive said.<\/p>\n
The move follows months of economic debate over the role of tariffs in driving up consumer prices. Trump\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019t grow domestically. \u201cYou\u2019re going to see some substantial announcements over the next couple of days in terms of things we don\u2019t grow here in the United States \u2014 coffee being one of them, bananas, other fruits, things like that,\u201d Bessent said. \u201cThat will bring the prices down very quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
The White House cast the move as part of Trump\u2019s broader economic strategy to \u201crestore affordability,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cTariffs are a tax hike on foreign countries that have been ripping us off,\u201d press secretary Karoline Leavitt said earlier this year, insisting the administration\u2019s trade agenda was designed to protect American industry.<\/p>\n
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\nCritics, however, seized on Friday\u2019s order as proof that the policy had backfired.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, the administration that said all year that their tariffs don\u2019t affect U.S. consumer prices \u2014 and mocked anyone who disagreed \u2014 now says that cutting those same tariffs will spur consumer savings? Comical stuff,\u201d wrote Scott Lincicome, vice president of economics at the libertarian Cato Institute.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the move reflects the natural give-and-take of international negotiations.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow we have a critical mass of agreements with countries who make this stuff, so this is good timing,\u201d Greer said on CNBC. He characterized Trump\u2019s approach as using tariffs to gain leverage and then adjusting them when American consumers or businesses would benefit.<\/p>\n
The National Coffee Association welcomed the decision, calling it a boost for consumers and the U.S. economy.<\/p>\n
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\n\u201cThis 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,\u201d said NCA President Bill Murray.<\/p>\n
But not every industry was pleased. The Distilled Spirits Council said it was \u201cdisappointed\u201d that imported liquors from Europe and the U.K. \u2014 such as Scotch, Cognac, and Irish whiskey \u2014 were not included in the tariff relief package.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot 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,\u201d said Council President Chris Swonger.<\/p>\n
While the administration framed the order as a sign of Trump\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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