President Donald Trump said Monday that he might remove the extra 12.5% U.S. tariff on some Colombian goods, linking a possible change to his friendship with Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella rather than to any announced trade standard. “Puede que lo haga,” he said, according to the Spanish rendering by news agency EFE, carried by Bogotá daily El Tiempo. In English: “I may do it.”
Trump spoke to reporters outside the White House on 12 October, before flying to Ohio to campaign for Republican candidates ahead of the November midterm elections. He called De la Espriella a friend, said he had backed him and praised the Colombian leader’s work. The reports offered no timetable or list of products. La República reported Tuesday that Trump had opened the door to lifting the tariff.
Who Pays the Price
The duty covers goods that employ ordinary workers. Both newspapers say Colombian flowers, apparel and processed foods face the extra charge. La República also listed chocolates, confectionery and cosmetics, while El Tiempo named footwear. Coffee, oil, gold, bananas, avocados and certain sugars were exempt, La República reported.
The cost doesn’t land on just one party. U.S. importers pay the tariff when goods clear customs, while exporters may accept lower prices, shoppers may pay more, or both. Colombian growers and manufacturers, along with American consumers, can all end up absorbing the charge.
How the Rate Was Set
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced the duty’s final action on Thursday, 23 July, under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. The action followed an investigation into 60 economies and whether they imposed and enforced bans on importing goods made with forced labor. Seventeen economies with such a ban, or a promise to adopt one, received a 10% rate; most others received 12.5%. Under USTR criteria, economies with a forced-labor import ban, or a commitment to one in a trade agreement, fell into the lower group.
La República and El Tiempo report that Colombia landed in the higher group. Mexico, Canada, Argentina, Ecuador and Guatemala were among the economies assigned the 10% rate.
That sequence matters. A formal process set the tariff under defined criteria. Trump’s comment now points to relief based on a personal relationship instead.
Warmer Ties, Unconfirmed Relief
The remark came as Washington and Bogotá developed friendlier relations after conservative lawyer De la Espriella succeeded leftist Gustavo Petro. El Tiempo contrasted the warmer tone with Trump’s tense relationship with Petro. In August, after an earthquake, De la Espriella asked Trump to suspend the tariffs, according to Emol and BAE Negocios. The EFE report said the two governments had also deepened security cooperation since De la Espriella took office in August, but it didn’t directly link that cooperation to the tariff.
Nothing is official yet. The reports cited no executive order, USTR notice, Federal Register filing or White House statement confirming a change. Colombia’s government hadn’t publicly commented on Trump’s remark in the reports reviewed. A La República headline cited exporters’ group Analdex as saying the rate could soon fall to zero, but no official had confirmed that. Any change would require formal action, such as a USTR modification of the Section 301 measure or a presidential order. Until then, goods entering the United States continue to face the 12.5% rate.
Why This Matters:
A president’s say-so now appears able to alter tariffs set through a defined legal process. For Colombian flower growers, garment makers and food processors, and the workers they employ, their costs may depend on diplomatic goodwill rather than published criteria. U.S. importers and shoppers, who may share the tariff’s cost, face the same uncertainty. A formal USTR modification or presidential order would create a public record and some accountability. Until one appears, the rate stands at 12.5%, and the rules for earning a lower one remain tied to a forced-labor import ban, not friendship.