Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said amid fears of a trade war with Colombia on Sunday that President Trump is making inflation worse in the U.S.
“To ‘punish’ Colombia, Trump is about to make every American pay even more for coffee,” the New York Democrat said on the social platform X.
“Remember: *WE* pay the tariffs, not Colombia,” she added. “Trump is all about making inflation WORSE for working class Americans, not better. He’s lining the pockets of himself and the billionaire class.”
Prior to Ocasio-Cortez’s remarks, Trump said in a post on Truth Social that “two repatriation flights from the United States, with a large number of Illegal Criminals, were not allowed to land in Colombia.”
“This order was given by Colombia’s Socialist President Gustavo Petro, who is already very unpopular amongst his people,” he said.
Trump added that the Colombian president’s “denial of these flights has jeopardized the National Security and Public Safety of the United States,” and said he ordered administration officials “to immediately take the following urgent and decisive retaliatory measures,” including U.S.-bound goods facing tariffs of 25 percent and the prohibition of travel “on the Colombian Government Officials, and all Allies and Supporters.”
Petro then ordered an increase to import tariffs on goods from the U.S. in response to Trump’s remarks. In a post on X later Sunday, he said he had directed the “foreign trade minister to raise import tariffs from the U.S. by 25%.”
However, the White House said in an email late Sunday an agreement between the U.S. and Colombia had been reached.
“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,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement emailed to The Hill.
Trump campaigned on lowering prices for Americans.
The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.
