In a move that marks a significant shift in U.S. trade policy, President Donald Trump has signed an executive order exempting more than 100 food products—including coffee, bananas, and beef—from his administration’s sweeping tariffs. The decision, announced on November 14, 2025, comes as the White House faces mounting political pressure over rising grocery prices and after the Republican Party’s disappointing performance in the November 7 midterm elections, according to reporting by Ammon News and the BBC.
The newly exempted items span a wide range of everyday staples. The list includes coffee, cocoa, black and green tea, vanilla beans, and various beef products—from high-quality cuts to corned beef and smoked meats. Fruits like avocados, bananas, coconuts, guavas, limes, mangoes, pineapples, and tomatoes also made the cut, alongside spices such as cinnamon, cloves, saffron, turmeric, and a variety of nuts, grains, roots, and seeds. The exemptions took effect retroactively at midnight on November 13, 2025, the White House confirmed.
President Trump, who for years has championed tariffs as a tool to reduce the U.S. trade deficit and protect American industries, now finds himself navigating the tricky waters of consumer discontent. While he has long insisted that tariffs—a baseline 10% on imports from all countries, with additional levies for many trading partners—would not raise prices for U.S. shoppers, the reality has proved more complicated. Grocery costs, particularly for beef, have surged, turning the cost of living into a political flashpoint.
"We just did a little bit of a rollback on some foods, like coffee as an example, 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," Trump told reporters on Friday, as quoted by Ammon News. He was quick to add that the exemptions only apply to products that cannot be produced in sufficient quantities domestically: "So there's no protection of our industries, or our food products." Trump also downplayed the likelihood of further rollbacks, stating, "I don't think it'll be necessary."
The administration’s change in course follows a week of political turbulence. After the Republican Party’s lackluster results in the midterms, Trump shifted his focus to Americans’ wallets, acknowledging—at least implicitly—that rising prices were taking a toll. Last week, he called for a federal investigation into the meat-packing industry, accusing companies of “Illicit Collusion, Price Fixing, and Price Manipulation.” This fiery rhetoric was aimed at rallying public support and deflecting blame for soaring beef prices, which have become a symbol of broader inflationary pressures.
To further sweeten the deal for consumers, Trump announced a plan to distribute $2,000 tariff rebate checks to Americans. However, the legality of these payments remains uncertain, as the U.S. Supreme Court is currently weighing whether the president has the authority to issue them. Still, the promise of direct relief, coupled with the tariff exemptions, signals a concerted effort by the administration to address voter concerns—especially after the recent electoral setback.
The White House’s list of tariff-free products is comprehensive. In addition to coffee, cocoa, and tea, it features vanilla beans, a range of beef products, and an impressive variety of fruits—acai, avocados, bananas, coconuts, guavas, limes, oranges, mangoes, plantains, pineapples, peppers, and tomatoes. The spice category is equally robust, with items like allspice, bay leaves, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, curry, dill, fennel seeds, ginger, mace, nutmeg, oregano, paprika, saffron, and turmeric. Nuts, grains, roots, and seeds—such as barley, Brazil nuts, capers, cashews, chestnuts, macadamia nuts, miso, palm hearts, pine nuts, poppy seeds, tapioca, taro, and water chestnuts—round out the list.
Some of these products, like coffee and bananas, are also the focus of new trade agreements with four Latin American countries. As part of these deals, import taxes on these goods will be lowered, further easing the pressure on American shoppers. This week, both Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent publicly vowed to decrease coffee prices in the U.S. by 20% this year—a bold promise that, if fulfilled, could offer tangible relief to consumers who have watched their grocery bills climb month after month.
Economists, however, have cautioned that the story isn’t quite so simple. According to the BBC, most experts agree that companies tend to pass the cost of tariffs directly onto consumers, which has contributed to a 2.7% increase in grocery prices year-over-year as of September 2025. While inflation was milder than many analysts had expected in September, most items tracked in the Department of Labor’s inflation report showed price increases, with groceries being a particular pain point for families across the country.
Trump’s decision to roll back tariffs on certain foods represents a notable reversal for an administration that has made "America First" trade policies its hallmark. For years, Trump has argued that higher tariffs would force Americans to buy domestic products, reduce the nation’s trade deficit, and protect U.S. workers from what he calls exploitation by “cheaters” abroad. He was often dismissive of concerns about affordability, at one point calling it a “con job” by Democrats. But as grocery costs became a kitchen-table issue—and as the political winds shifted after the midterms—the administration found itself compelled to act.
Notably, the White House emphasized that the exemptions are tailored to products the U.S. cannot produce in sufficient quantities, minimizing any potential harm to domestic industries. This distinction appears designed to reassure American farmers and producers, who have sometimes found themselves caught in the crossfire of the trade wars. At the same time, the administration’s actions are clearly aimed at voters who are feeling squeezed by higher prices at the checkout line.
Whether these policy changes will be enough to reverse the political damage from rising living costs remains to be seen. The Supreme Court’s pending decision on the legality of the $2,000 tariff rebate checks adds another layer of uncertainty. Meanwhile, the promise of a 20% cut in coffee prices will be closely watched by both consumers and critics, eager to see if the administration can deliver on its pledge.
For now, one thing is clear: the Trump administration’s recalibration on tariffs underscores just how powerful the politics of the grocery aisle can be. With more than 100 food products now exempt from import levies, Americans may soon find some relief at the supermarket—if not at the ballot box.
