Colombian flowers, apparel and processed foods still face a 12.5% U.S. tariff, even after President Donald Trump said he might remove it. He announced no timetable and named no products. The U.S. Trade Representative set the duty under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, and changing it would require formal action from the USTR or a presidential order.
Trump made the remark on Monday, 12 October, to reporters outside the White House before flying to Ohio to campaign for Republican candidates ahead of the November midterm elections. In the Spanish rendering by news agency EFE, carried by Bogotá daily El Tiempo, he 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.
The tariff and its reach
The USTR announced its final tariff action on Thursday, 23 July, after investigating 60 economies over 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, got a 10% rate. Most others got 12.5%, and Colombia landed in that higher group, according to La República and El Tiempo.
Under the USTR's criteria, economies with a forced-labor import ban, or a commitment to one in a trade agreement, qualified for the lower rate. Mexico, Canada, Argentina, Ecuador and Guatemala were among those assigned 10%. The U.S. trade measure established the tariff framework; the reports don't describe any change to it as having taken effect.
Both newspapers say Colombian flowers, apparel and processed foods pay the additional duty. 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.
U.S. importers pay the tariff when goods clear customs. Exporters may absorb some of the cost through lower prices, shoppers may pay more, or both. The reports didn't quantify the cost to exporters or consumers, and they don't say how a possible change would affect individual products.
Political ties and formal action
The possible tariff relief comes as relations between Washington and Bogotá have warmed 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 EFE report said the two governments had also deepened security cooperation since De la Espriella took office in August, but it didn't link that cooperation directly to the tariff. On Tuesday, 13 October, La República reported that Trump had opened the door to lifting the duty. A headline in the newspaper quoted exporters' group Analdex saying the rate could soon fall to zero, but no official had confirmed that figure.
The reports cited no executive order, USTR notice, Federal Register filing or White House statement confirming a change. Colombia's government hasn't commented publicly on Trump's remark in the reports reviewed. Until formal action changes the Section 301 measure, goods entering the United States continue to face the 12.5% rate.