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.<\/p>\n
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<\/a> since his Republican Party’s poor performance in last week’s elections.<\/p>\n The dozens of products included on the White House’s list of exemptions range from avocados and tomatoes to coconuts and mangoes.<\/p>\n These goods, the Trump administration said on Friday, cannot be produced in sufficient quantities domestically.<\/p>\n Trump has long said that his tariffs – currently a baseline 10% on imports from all countries, with additional levies on many trading partners – would not lead to increased prices for US consumers. He also said affordability was a “new word” and a “con job” by Democrats.<\/p>\n But the latest exemptions signal a reversal, as the Trump administration seeks to lower prices by walking back levies on some food staples.<\/p>\n Economists have warned that companies would pass the cost of tariffs onto their customers in the form of higher prices.<\/p>\n While inflation remained milder than many analysts had expected in September, most items tracked in the Department of Labor inflation report showed price increases<\/a>, with groceries up 2.7% from last year.<\/p>\n The Trump administration’s new tariff exemptions for food products take effect retroactively at midnight on Thursday 13 November, the White House said.<\/p>\n