-(4)-1731951738-q80.webp){kind=small}
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) blasted President Donald Trump on Sunday over his plan to impose 25% tariffs on Colombian goods, warning it would hurt American consumers and worsen inflation.
“To ‘punish’ Colombia, Trump is about to make every American pay even more for coffee,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X. “Remember: WE pay the tariffs, not Colombia. Trump is all about making inflation WORSE for working-class Americans, not better. He’s lining the pockets of himself and the billionaire class.”
The criticism came after Trump posted on Truth Social, accusing Colombian President Gustavo Petro of blocking two flights carrying deported Colombian nationals.
Trump claimed Petro’s decision “jeopardized the National Security and Public Safety of the United States” and announced a series of retaliatory measures. These included tariffs on Colombian imports and travel restrictions on Colombian officials and their supporters.
Petro responded hours later by escalating the trade dispute. “I have directed the foreign trade minister to raise import tariffs from the U.S. by 25%,” Petro wrote on X. The move raised tensions between the two nations, with concerns mounting over the potential economic fallout.
Ocasio-Cortez criticized Trump’s approach, arguing that tariffs on Colombian goods—especially coffee, a major export—would disproportionately impact working-class Americans already struggling with rising prices. “Trump is pretending to stand up for America, but he’s hurting the people who can least afford it,” she said.
However, late Sunday, the White House announced that an agreement had been reached to end the dispute. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed in a statement that Colombia had accepted Trump’s demands.
“The Government of Colombia has agreed to all of President Trump’s terms, including the unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia returned from the United States, including on U.S. military aircraft, without limitation or delay,” the statement read.
Trump has long claimed his administration worked to reduce costs for Americans, but critics like Ocasio-Cortez argue that policies like these tariffs do the opposite. The debate over their economic and political implications is likely to intensify as Americans watch for potential price increases and the broader impact on U.S.-Colombia relations.
