(NewsNation) — The Trump administration is rethinking its flagship economic policy and rolling back some tariffs, but households across the nation are unsure when to expect their cost of living to reflect the move.
Trump has relied on sweeping new tariffs to remake the economy during his second term, but the White House announced Friday it was reversing course in a bid to lower grocery prices.
Products no longer subject to tariffs include coffee, tea, tropical fruit, beef, bananas, wood and iron. In a statement to NewsNation, the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States expressed its disappointment that certain alcohols were not included in the rollback.
“Not including EU and UK spirits on the list of tariff modifications is yet another blow to the U.S. hospitality industry just as the critical holiday season kicks into high gear,” the council said in part.
Food prices have been climbing by 0.2% to 0.4% nearly every month since January, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Some staples are surging far faster. Ground beef is up 11.5% from last year, and roast coffee has surged more than 40%.
The administration said rolling back tariffs on these essentials should eventually help bring down prices, but Americans want to know when they’ll actually feel lower prices or see them on the grocery aisles.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent offered the clearest guidance so far during a recent interview on Fox News. He said some of the relief is already here, but a more noticeable drop will come in 2026.
“I think that we’re going to see a substantial acceleration in the economy in the first second quarter … We’re bending that curve down, and the increase in real income, I think Americans are gonna feel in the first quarter, the second quarter,” he said.
The White House is under growing pressure from voters deeply frustrated with the cost of living.
Trump has continued to insist his party is the party of affordability, and he has argued tariffs aren’t driving grocery prices higher.
But economists told NewsNation they aren’t so sure, and many say retailers will be slow to pass any lower costs back to shoppers.
Matt Orton, chief market strategist for Raymond James Investment, told “Morning in America” the Trump administration’s tariff rollback could eventually prevent inflation from rising, but prices are unlikely to change for the better.
“Once you see those price increases trickle in, it’s really, really difficult, if not impossible, to actually go down,” he said.
A NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ survey in October found a majority, 57%, of respondents believe inflation is the biggest problem facing the United States — and 35% find Trump’s handling of the economy is “much worse than expected,” compared to the 19% who deemed it “much better than expected.”
NewsNation partner The Hill and Anna Kutz contributed to this report.