President Donald Trump scrapped U.S. tariffs on beef, coffee, tropical fruits and a wide range of other imported commodities on Friday, a dramatic reversal that comes as his administration confronts intensifying pressure to ease stubbornly high grocery prices.
The decision marks a significant retreat from the cornerstone of Trump’s second-term economic agenda, which has relied heavily on steep levies on global imports to boost domestic production and strengthen the U.S. economy. But Trump’s rollback arrives just weeks after voters in off-year elections pointed to economic frustrations as their leading concern, contributing to major Democratic gains in Virginia, New Jersey and other states.
Speaking aboard Air Force One as he departed for Florida, Trump described the tariff rollback as modest but necessary. “We just did a little bit of a rollback on some foods like coffee,” he told reporters. When pressed on whether his tariffs had contributed to rising consumer prices, Trump acknowledged that in some cases they “may” have played a role, though he insisted much of the cost had been absorbed by other countries.
Inflation remains elevated nationwide despite Trump’s repeated claims that price pressures have subsided since he took office in January, adding to the urgency for the White House to show progress as households continue to face high grocery bills. The administration has argued for months that tariffs were not a major driver of food costs, saying they helped bolster federal revenue instead. But Democrats quickly seized on Trump’s reversal as evidence that his policies had weighed on consumers.
“President Trump is finally admitting what we always knew: his tariffs are raising prices for the American people,” Virginia Rep. Don Beyer said, calling the rollback a response to voter anger over inflation and broken promises to reduce costs.
Record-high beef prices have been especially troubling for consumers, a trend Trump had previously pledged to address. His earlier tariff on Brazilian beef, a major global export, was among the factors influencing U.S. market prices. Friday’s executive order also eliminates tariffs on tea, fruit juice, cocoa, spices, bananas, oranges, tomatoes and several fertilizers. Many of those goods are not produced in the United States, meaning earlier tariffs designed to spur domestic output had limited effect but still added costs for American buyers.
The Food Industry Association, which represents major producers and retailers, praised the decision as “swift tariff relief” that would help sustain adequate supply and lower prices in a market strained by supply chain pressures.
The White House said some of the tariffs Trump celebrated imposing months earlier had become unnecessary as the administration forged new trade agreements with Ecuador, Guatemala, El Salvador and Argentina. Those agreements are intended to expand U.S. access to agricultural and industrial markets abroad while potentially easing tariff burdens on their products entering the United States.
Trump hinted earlier in the week that he was preparing to cut some food-related tariffs, telling Fox News host Laura Ingraham that “Coffee — we’re going to lower some tariffs.”
Despite Friday’s wide-ranging tariff retreat, Trump reiterated that federal revenue from import levies would still form the basis for his proposal to issue $2,000 checks to many Americans. He suggested payments could begin in 2026 but gave no specifics beyond saying they would arrive “sometime during the year.” He also said tariff revenue might be used to reduce the national debt, raising questions about how both goals could be achieved simultaneously.
Trump dismissed concerns that such payments could worsen inflation, even as he argued that previous stimulus checks from other administrations had contributed to higher prices during the pandemic. The difference this time, he said, is that the money would come from tariffs, not government borrowing. “This is money earned as opposed to money that was made up,” Trump said. “Everybody but the rich will get this. That’s not made up. That’s real money. That comes from other countries.”
