US President Donald Trump has rolled back tariffs on more
than 200 food products in the face of growing angst
among American consumers about the high cost of groceries.
The new exemptions were announced on Friday and include such
staples as coffee, beef, bananas, and orange
juice. They took effect retroactively at midnight on Thursday
. The move marks a sharp reversal for Trump,
who has long insisted that the sweeping import duties he
imposed earlier this year are not fueling inflation. Trump
was asked about the rollback aboard Air Force One on
Friday evening. I say they may in some cases
, but to a large extent. That they've been
borne by the country as an example, we have
virtually no inflation. Trump also said he would move
forward with a$2000 payment to lower and middle income
Americans that would be funded by tariff revenues. Now
we're going to do a dividend and we're going to
be reducing. Friday's list of exemptions includes products US
consumers routinely purchase to feed their families at home.
Many of which have seen double-digit year over year price
increases. The White House said Trump decided certain food
items could be exempted since they were not grown or
processed in the United States. And after significant progress
, the president has made in securing more reciprocal terms
for our bilateral trade relationships. Trump has focused squarely
on the issue of affordability in recent weeks the cost
of living while insisting that any higher costs were triggered
by policies enacted by his predecessor Joe Biden and not
his own tariff policies. Democrats have won a string
of recent victories in state and local elections in Virginia
, New Jersey, and New York City, where
growing voter concerns about affordability, including high food prices
, were a key topic. I know you're