Colombian flowers, apparel and processed foods still face a 12.5% U.S. tariff. President Donald Trump said he might remove it, but he gave no timetable or list of products. U.S. importers pay the charge at customs; exporters may absorb part of the cost through lower prices, shoppers may pay more, or both.
Trump made the remark on Monday, 12 October, outside the White House before flying to Ohio to campaign for Republican candidates ahead of the November midterm elections. In the Spanish rendering by the news agency EFE, carried by Bogotá daily El Tiempo, Trump said, “Puede que lo haga,” meaning, “I may do it.” He called Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella a friend, said he had backed him and praised the Colombian leader for doing a great job.
Who Pays the Duty
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced the final tariff action on Thursday, 23 July, under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. The duty followed an investigation of 60 economies into whether they imposed and enforced bans on imports made with forced labor. The USTR set a 10% rate for 17 economies with such a ban, or a promise to adopt one. Most others got a 12.5% rate.
Colombia landed in the higher-rate group, according to La República and El Tiempo. Mexico, Canada, Argentina, Ecuador and Guatemala were among the economies assigned the 10% rate. Under USTR criteria, economies with a forced-labor import ban, or a commitment to one in a trade agreement, qualified for the lower group.
La República also listed chocolates, confectionery and cosmetics among Colombian goods facing the extra duty. El Tiempo named footwear. Coffee, oil, gold, bananas, avocados and certain sugars were exempt, La República reported. The tariff applies when goods enter the United States. Exporters may shoulder some of the cost if importers respond by paying lower prices.
A Possible Change, Not a Change
La República reported on Tuesday, 13 October, that Trump had opened the door to lifting the duty. Its headline cited exporters’ group Analdex as saying the rate could soon fall to zero, but no official had confirmed that claim. The reports cited no executive order, USTR notice, Federal Register filing or White House statement confirming a change.
Any alteration would require formal action, such as a USTR modification of the Section 301 measure or a presidential order. Until then, Colombian goods entering the United States continued to face the 12.5% rate. The reports identified no workers’ organization, union response or worker statement about the tariff; the cited trade effects concerned exporters, importers and shoppers.
Diplomacy and Trade Policy
The remark came amid warmer relations between Washington and Bogotá since conservative lawyer De la Espriella succeeded leftist Gustavo Petro. El Tiempo contrasted that 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 two governments had also deepened security cooperation since De la Espriella took office in August, the EFE report said, but it didn't link that cooperation directly to the tariff. Colombia's government hadn't commented publicly on Trump's remark in the reports reviewed. For exporters of goods still subject to the duty, the president's statement offered no confirmed reduction. The existing rate remained in force.