Trump Confirms Tariff-Free Beef Imports From Brazil, Argentina Coming to Fight High Prices

President Trump confirmed Friday that beef imports from Brazil, Argentina and other countries will soon be flowing into the United States tariff-free, part of his administration's broader push to bring down stubbornly high beef prices for American consumers.

"It's coming from Argentina. It's coming from Brazil," Trump said during an Oval Office event surrounded by ranchers and farmers. "It's coming from a couple of other places. We have our inspectors down. It's very clean. It's very good."

The announcement builds on Trump's plan from last month to pause tariffs on 300,000 metric tons of beef for 90 days, allowing it to be sold at a 25 percent discount below market price. The president has argued the move will lower costs for American families while giving domestic ranchers room to rebuild their herds.

Not everyone has been on board with the plan. The cattle industry and several GOP lawmakers quickly pushed back, arguing that lowering prices for consumers shouldn't come at the expense of American ranchers.

Trump defended the scope of the pause, framing it as a measured approach that benefits both sides.

"We're doing it in a very limited fashion because our ranchers can handle it, but our ranchers really needed a little bit of help, and our ranchers want the prices to be down too," Trump said.

The White House also found itself defending the decision after a report surfaced suggesting outside influence played a role. The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that Trump met with Brazilian billionaire Joesley Batista, who shares control of JBS, the world's largest meatpacker, just one day before the tariff pause was announced. Batista and his brother Wesley were fined by the Justice Department back in 2020 over charges they violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, tied to a bribery scheme used to expand their U.S. operations.

The tariff pause also comes on the heels of an unrelated recall of nearly 30,000 pounds of Argentinian beef that had already been distributed across Texas and Florida.

Trump used Friday's Oval Office appearance to sign two additional executive orders: one allowing ranchers and farmers to butcher, process, package and sell their own products directly, and another mandating country-of-origin labeling on all foreign beef sold in the U.S.

The president took direct aim at the industry's largest players, Tyson Foods, JBS S.A., Cargill and National Beef Packing Co., accusing them of holding a monopoly over the American beef sector.

"I've heard all about it. I've been listening to it… and they say they're a very nasty group, very difficult to deal with," Trump said of the processors. "And they cost our farmers a lot of money, and they cost our ranchers a lot of money, and they cost the public a lot of money in grief, and we're not going to let it happen any longer."

Asked about the timeline for implementing the new country-of-origin labeling requirement, Trump acknowledged the process would require congressional action.

"We're putting it in front of Congress right away," he said. "It should be no problem."