Trump Moves to Cut Tariffs on Key Food Imports
White House Aims to Ease Grocery Prices With New Exemptions
Key Takeaways:
- President Donald Trump planned to sign a Nov. 14 order reducing tariffs on beef, tomatoes, coffee and bananas to ease grocery costs, a White House official said.
- The exemptions target goods the U.S. cannot produce in sufficient quantities and reflect pressure over price increases linked to Trump’s tariff policies.
- Officials said the move is part of a broader strategy to adjust levies, with details of the order and its overall scope still undisclosed.
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President Donald Trump is slated to sign an order on Nov. 14 reducing tariffs on beef, tomatoes, coffee and bananas, according to a White House official, a move aimed at lowering costs on groceries as the administration faces pressure from voters to cut prices on everyday goods.
The exemptions would reduce trade levies on the commodities, which can’t be produced in the U.S. in sufficient quantity to meet domestic demand. The exact scope of the tariff reduction, how many total goods are included and how widely it would apply, were not immediately clear.
The move comes as Trump has pivoted to focusing on affordability measures as voters are growing increasingly wary of the economy under his leadership. It is also a tacit acknowledgment that the president’s tariff policies have added to price pressures on U.S. consumers.
The White House official, who requested anonymity to speak about the executive order which has not been made public, said the president is following through on his pledge to cut trade deals and then adjust levies as needed. The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer teased the plan earlier Nov. 14, saying that it fits in with Trump’s broader strategy to create tariff exemptions for key goods and sectors.
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“Now is the right time to, you know, to release some of these items the president said he was going to release,” Greer said. “This is a natural outgrowth of exactly what the present signaled, and that’s what he’s doing today.”
Trump and senior U.S. officials have pushed back on criticism that his trade policies have increased the cost of living but acknowledge the need to do more to reduce high prices that have frustrated voters for years. Trump has regularly praised the merits of tariffs, saying he believes the import taxes are offset in part by sellers’ price reductions, blunting the effect on consumers.
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