Colombia asks Trump to temporarily suspend tariffs after deadly earthquake

Newly elected Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella has asked US President Donald Trump to temporarily suspend higher tariffs on Colombian goods to help the country cope with the aftermath of a devastating earthquake.

“I asked him to consider temporarily suspending the high tariffs affecting Colombian goods in order to support our entrepreneurs, who are going through very difficult times due to the consequences of the earthquake,” de la Espriella wrote on X.

Since late July, US tariffs on most Colombian goods have increased from 10% to 12.5%. Exceptions include coffee and oil, among other products. The higher tariffs took effect on July 24, replacing previously imposed global tariffs, CBS News reports.

De la Espriella said he spoke with Trump for about 10 minutes the previous day. According to the Colombian president, Trump expressed his condolences over the deaths caused by the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck on Monday.

“The conversation was very friendly and cordial,” the Colombian president said. He added that he had warned Trump about the massive challenges involved in rebuilding the country after the natural disaster and the difficult economic situation.

The earthquake caused severe damage to the western Colombian cities of Cali and Pereira, killing nearly 300 people and destroying about 13,000 homes.

By Jeyhun Aghazada