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Will Valentine’s Day get cancelled due to price hikes from US-Colombia trade tensions? Netizens say, ‘we’re so cooked’
A brewing trade dispute between the US and Colombia threatens to raise coffee and flower prices for Americans; here's what netizens have to say
Donald Trump's first week in office as the 47th President of the United States has been a thing to observe; while it's not often that elected officials follow through on their promises, it’s even rarer for them to backtrack so quickly, especially in their first week. The POTUS who promised to bring grocery prices down might just have started a trade war between the United States and Colombia, the consequences of which would threaten to raise the prices of coffee, flowers, and raw materials for Americans.
The tension between the two countries grew when Colombia refused to accept U.S. military planes carrying deported immigrants. In retaliation, President Trump announced on social media that he would impose a 25 per cent tariff on all Colombian imports, with plans to increase it to 50 per cent within a week. Colombia’s president, Gustavo Petro, quickly responded by threatening his own 50 per cent tariff. It's noteworthy that Colombia supplies more than a third of the US’s nursery stock and about 20 per cent of its coffee, according to the Census Bureau. As a result, Americans may see higher prices for coffee and flowers, just ahead of Valentine’s Day.
The internet has reacted strongly to the news, with many expressing frustration. “Coffee prices are about to go up because Trump's feelings got hurt by a country he doesn't know how to spell,” one X user commented. Another said, “Yeah, great. Punish Colombia by making Americans pay more for coffee.” A third added, “We are so cooked.” Others warned of rising prices, with one commenter advising, “Well, if you drink coffee, you better get ready for the prices to go up. Better stock up now.” A user jokingly remarked, “50% tariff on coffee?? Jesus Christ, cocaine about to be cheaper.” And one more pointed out, “When Trump imposes tariffs on Colombian coffee, Colombian flowers, Colombian bananas, pineapples, avocados, and oil, it's us Americans who will pay those added costs. We're not even a week into Trump's term, and he's already imposed a brand-new tax on all of us.”
More recently, a White House statement was released saying Colombia has now agreed to accept migrants arriving on US military aircraft “without limitation or delay”. Therefore, the US will not be imposing tariffs on Colombia and it is unlikely that the prices of coffee or flowers will increase before Valentine's Day.
