The United States will lower some tariffs on coffee imports, President Donald Trump said in an interview aired Tuesday on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle.
“We’re going to lower some tariffs. We’re going to have some coffee come in. We’re going to take care of all this stuff very quickly, very easily,” Trump told Fox News when asked about measures to address soaring grocery prices.
The move underscores the administration’s intent to intervene in commodity pricing amid concerns about affordability for American households.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in late October that the annual U.S. coffee price index, a key component of overall inflation, rose 18.9% in September.
Retail coffee prices jumped nearly 21% in August compared with a year earlier, an increase partly blamed on Trump-era import duties. In July, Brazil, the world’s largest coffee exporter, was hit with a 50% tariff, while Vietnam and Colombia faced 20% and 10% duties, respectively.
The US, which imports more than 99% of its coffee, relies heavily on Brazil — accounting for 30.7% of American coffee imports by net weight, according to UN Comtrade data — followed by Colombia (18.3%) and Vietnam (6.6%).
At Swing’s Coffee Roasters, a century-old chain with outlets in Virginia and Washington, DC, owner Mark Warmuth said rising import costs have strained operations. “Trump’s tariffs caused a really difficult situation across the board,” he told CNN, citing environmental and labor factors compounding the price hike.
“Consumers are footing the bill for it,” Warmuth added. “The only loser here is the consumer.”
Warmuth estimated that the cost of a cup of coffee could rise by about 10 to 15 cents. Even if importing beans costs 50% more, he noted, it’s unlikely that retail prices would increase by the same margin.





