Bessent says 'substantial' tariff relief on coffee and bananas is coming soon
NBC1 day
Bessent Suggests Tariff Relief on Coffee, Bananas Amid Price Surge
Above: Fruits and vegetables at a Tropical Foods grocery store near Nubian Square in Massachusetts on Nov. 4, 2025. Image copyright: Lane Turner/The Boston Globe/Getty Images
The Spin
Republican narrative
The Trump administration inherited an affordability crisis from Biden's spending blowout and is systematically fixing it through strategic policy moves. Energy prices hit four-year lows, mortgage rates dropped from over 7% to 6.22%, and targeted tariff relief shows smart economic management that puts American families first.
Democratic narrative
Trump's tariff relief on coffee and bananas exposes the failure of his own trade policy that drove prices sky-high in the first place. After hiking Brazil tariffs to 50% and watching coffee futures jump 45%, the administration now scrambles to fix self-inflicted damage while inflation rises every month since April.