Trump Eases Food Tariffs Amid Rising Prices and Political Pressure

Sun Nov 16 2025 03:22:22 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In a surprising move, President Trump has signed an executive order rolling back tariffs on numerous food products, including key staples such as coffee and bananas, to combat rising prices and address public concern following recent electoral losses.

President Trump has signed an executive order exempting various food products from tariffs as part of efforts to alleviate rising grocery prices. The list includes coffee, bananas, avocados, and other essentials, responding to public pressure after the Republican party's poor election results. This shift signals a possible reversal of earlier tariff strategies aimed at reducing the trade deficit but acknowledges rising costs as a political issue the administration must address.

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order allowing a range of food products, including coffee, bananas, and beef, to escape his sweeping tariffs.

The move comes as his administration faces mounting pressure over rising prices. While Trump previously downplayed concerns about the cost of living, he has focused on the issue since his Republican Party's poor performance in last week's elections.

The dozens of products included on the White House's list of exemptions range from avocados and tomatoes to coconuts and mangoes, with the Trump administration claiming they cannot be produced in sufficient quantities domestically.

Trump has long asserted that his tariffs would not lead to increased prices for US consumers, dismissing budget concerns as a con job. Yet, as grocery costs rise, this has become a critical political issue for him. Recently, he even called for an investigation into the meat-packing industry for alleged price manipulation.

On Friday, Trump stated the tariff exemptions would help reduce prices on products imported from countries where domestic production is not viable. He declared, We just did a little bit of a rollback on some foods... where the prices of coffee were a little bit high. Now they'll be on the low side in a very short period of time.

The operation of these tariff exemptions is retroactive, effective from midnight on November 13. Moreover, alongside this decision, Trump announced reduced import taxes on certain food items as part of new trade agreements with several Latin American countries.

Key items now exempt from tariffs include: