Trump Cuts Tariffs on Beef, Coffee, and Other Food Items as Inflation Worsens

President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order exempting a wide range of food imports—including beef, tomatoes, coffee, and bananas—from sweeping tariffs imposed earlier this year on nearly every country, the White House said, acknowledging that the US relies on imports to feed its population, Andrea Shalal reported for Reuters.

The new exemptions mark a sharp reversal for Trump, who has long insisted that his import duties are not fueling inflation.

The order is part of a major push by Trump and his top officials to address Americans’ growing concerns over persistently high grocery prices.

The new exemptions mark a sharp reversal for Trump, who has long insisted that his import duties are not fueling inflation.

They come after a string of Democratic victories in state and local elections in Virginia, New Jersey, and New York City, where affordability was a key issue.

Trump has been under pressure over rising food prices, particularly beef. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, ground beef prices have continued climbing every month since the start of the year, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) also reported.

Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.), ranking member of the House Ways and Means Committee, said the administration is “finally admitting publicly what we’ve all known from the start: Trump’s Trade War is hiking costs on people.”

He added that the administration is “putting out a fire they started and claiming it as progress,” Dareh Gregorian reported for NBC News.