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Tariffs After Quake
Colombia’s new President Abelardo de la Espriella asked US President Donald Trump to suspend tariffs targeting Colombia as the country reels from a deadly earthquake that killed at least 300 people and devastated Cali and Pereira.
“US tariffs on Colombian products rose from 10 percent to 12.5 percent in late July”
France 24 reported that US tariffs on Colombian products rose from 10 percent to 12.5 percent in late July, with exceptions including coffee and oil, and that the increased tariffs went into effect on July 24.
De la Espriella said on X, "I asked him to consider to temporarily suspend the high tariffs that are affecting Colombian products, in order to give some relief to our business owners, who are facing very difficult times due to the effects of the earthquake," and he said he spoke for about 10 minutes with Trump.
Al Jazeera said the tremor struck Colombia on Monday as a 7.4-magnitude earthquake, killing at least 294 people and damaging or destroying tens of thousands of buildings, while also noting the US tariffs rose from 10 percent to 12.5 percent in late July.
Al Jazeera added that De la Espriella described his call with Trump as "very friendly and cordial" and said he told Trump, "I told him that we have a huge challenge ahead: rebuilding Colombia amid the extremely difficult and apocalyptic economic situation that I inherited."
Condolences and Calls
Al Jazeera said Trump expressed condolences over the deaths from Monday’s 7.4-magnitude quake during a 10-minute conversation with De la Espriella, and it described the request as asking the US to "temporarily suspend" tariffs to give "relief" to business owners.
De la Espriella told X, "I asked him to consider to temporarily suspend the high tariffs that are affecting Colombian products, in order to give some relief to our business owners, who are facing very difficult times due to the effects of the earthquake," as France 24 and CBS News both tied the tariff request to earthquake recovery.
France 24 reported that De la Espriella said the conversation was "very friendly and cordial" and that he told Trump he faced "a huge challenge ahead: rebuilding Colombia amid the extremely difficult and apocalyptic economic situation that I inherited."
CBS News said it reached out to the White House for comment on the request, while also describing the earthquake’s impact as leaving nearly 300 people dead and destroying almost 13,000 homes.
Al Jazeera further reported that Colombia’s Finance Minister Miguel Gomez said the government was not yet considering raising taxes to find the approximately $6.4bn needed for reconstruction, citing local media have reported.
Rebuilding and Alliances
The tariff dispute is playing out alongside Colombia’s reconstruction needs after the quake, with Al Jazeera saying the government was not yet considering raising taxes to find the approximately $6.4bn needed for reconstruction.
“the approximately $6.4bn needed for reconstruction”
France 24 said the tremor devastated the western Colombian cities of Cali and Pereira, leaving nearly 300 people dead and destroying almost 13,000 homes, while also reporting that De la Espriella succeeded Gustavo Petro and joined the “Shield of the Americas.”
Al Jazeera said De la Espriella has joined the “Shield of the Americas,” described as an anti-cartel alliance headed by Trump and involving multiple South American nations, and it added that he plans to forge a military alliance with the US and Israel to help bolster the country’s long-running conflict with armed groups.
France 24 reported that De la Espriella plans to forge a military alliance with the United States and Israel to help bolster his war on guerrillas, and it said member states exchange information and coordinate judicial and security forces to address transnational criminal activity.
Al Jazeera also linked the tariff pressure to a White House shift after a legal setback on “Liberation Day” tariffs, saying the White House announced renewed tariffs targeting nearly every US trading partner, including Colombia, based on what it said were failures to uphold anti-forced labour measures.
