Some in MAGA world are celebrating President Donald Trump’s decision to slash tariffs on food — levies that he put in place just months ago.
Trump first implemented a broad range of tariffs on food products in April, when he announced his so-called “Liberation Day” – reciprocal levies on dozens of nations. At the time, the White House said that the U.S. cannot “long survive if it cannot produce its own food.”
But, on Friday, Trump signed an executive order removing tariffs from more than 200 agricultural staples, including beef, coffee, orange juice and bananas. It marks the latest reversal for the president, who has long championed tariffs as a cornerstone of his trade policy, memorably describing the word tariff as “the most beautiful word in the dictionary.”
Some Trump boosters were overjoyed. “The Trump Administration has signed an Executive Order that eliminates tariffs on Steaks,” Ian Jaeger, a self-described political commentator with 340,000 followers wrote on X. “This is HUGE.”
In response, Gunther Eagleman, a MAGA commentator with 1.4 million followers jumped on the bandwagon, writing, “Winning!”
FOX News announced the administration’s reversal with the headline: “WALLET RELIEF.”
But, many social media users quickly pounced on the way the decision was being framed by Trump’s supporters, noting the apparent irony.
“Who uh, who imposed the tariffs in the first place?” wrote one user, while another chimed in: “These naturally occurring tariffs must be stopped!!”
“If getting rid of tariffs to lower prices is ‘Winning!’, does that mean implementing the tariffs that raised prices was ‘Losing!” added another X user.
The decision comes after Democrats won a string of electoral victories in New York, New Jersey and Virginia earlier this month — where affordability emerged as a key campaign issue.
The price of major food staples have ticked up in recent months. The average price of coffee is up more than 40 percent year-over-year as of September, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Meanwhile, the average price of beef and bananas have gone up by 11.5 percent and 8.6 percent, respectively, outpacing the overall inflation rate of roughly 3 percent.
These increases have helped fuel widespread public concern about the cost of food. Recent polls also show that the cost of groceries are a major source of stress for most Americans.
The new exemptions garnered praise from many industry leaders.
“Today’s action should help consumers, whose morning cup of coffee will hopefully become more affordable, as well as U.S. manufacturers, which utilize many of these products in their supply chains and production lines,” Leslie Sarasin, the president of the FMI-Food Industry Association, said in a statement, according to Reuters.
When asked about his decision Friday, Trump conceded that tariffs may “in some cases” raise prices. However, he maintained that by-and-large, the U.S. has “virtually no inflation.”
His shift away from his maximalist tariff policy comes as a case is currently before the Supreme Court challenging the legality of the president’s decision to unilaterally impose sweeping tariffs.
