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The possibility of bringing in more foreign beef has become a flashpoint. Ranchers argue the idea undercuts Trump’s long-stated promise to rebuild and protect American agricultural production. Expanding imports, they say, hands an easy victory to foreign competitors at a moment when domestic producers are still recovering from inflation’s damage.
Still, the administration is under pressure to deliver relief — and fast.
Tariff rollback expands beyond earlier executive order
If approved, the plan would go far beyond the narrower exemptions Trump signed in September. That earlier executive order only applied to goods not primarily produced in the United States and only from trade-agreement partners. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer were tasked with reviewing over a thousand product categories, ranging from aircraft parts to avocados.
Insiders say Lutnick has pushed hardest for food-related exemptions, arguing that supermarket inflation remains one of the top pain points for voters.
Critics worry that granting exemptions to countries with no trade agreements sends mixed messages and could reward governments that haven’t worked with Washington. But the urgency of lowering prices appears to be outweighing those concerns.
The White House stays vague as pressure mounts
As usual, the administration didn’t confirm or deny the details — but it didn’t dismiss them either.
“The Trump administration is committed to pursuing a nimble, nuanced, and multifaceted strategy on trade and tariffs,” spokesman Kush Desai said.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent went even further during a Fox News interview, signaling that “substantial” tariff changes would be announced in the coming days. He also confirmed the administration’s focus on cutting costs for imported items the U.S. simply doesn’t produce.
“So that will bring the prices down very quickly,” he said, specifically naming “things we don’t grow here” like coffee and bananas.
New trade deals stack up as election pressure grows
Trump’s negotiation machine hasn’t slowed either. Just this week, the administration announced new trade deals with Argentina, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Ecuador — adding to agreements already finalized with the U.K., Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, and others. Countries that sign on see steep tariff reductions. Those who don’t remain on the outside looking in.
This latest policy push comes directly on the heels of Democrats winning several key elections after campaigning on affordability and cost-of-living frustrations. Their successes in Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Georgia have heightened urgency inside the GOP.
The message was clear enough that even Vice President JD Vance made a rare admission.
“We’re going to keep on working to make a decent life affordable in this country, and that’s the metric by which we’ll ultimately be judged in 2026 and beyond,” Vance said on X.
The bottom line
With grocery bills still bruising American families, Trump appears ready to temper a signature policy tool — tariffs — in order to deliver tangible relief. Whether ranchers and manufacturing advocates ultimately accept the shift remains to be seen. But politically, the White House clearly understands what voters are screaming for.
Lower prices. Less pain. More leadership.
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