Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella called on President Trump Saturday to temporarily suspend tariffs on Colombian products, days after a devastating earthquake killed nearly 300 people and destroyed almost 13,000 homes across western Colombia.
The 7.4-magnitude quake struck Monday, devastating the cities of Cali and Pereira. De la Espriella said he spoke with Trump by phone for about 10 minutes, and that Trump expressed condolences over the deaths.
"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," de la Espriella wrote on X.
He described the call in positive terms. "The conversation was very friendly and cordial," the Colombian leader said. He also told Trump what his administration faces going forward. "I told him that we have a huge challenge ahead: rebuilding Colombia amid the extremely difficult and apocalyptic economic situation that I inherited."
U.S. tariffs on Colombian products rose from 10 percent to 12.5 percent in late July, with exceptions for coffee and oil. The increased tariffs went into effect on July 24 under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. They replaced levies that had been imposed under Section 122 of the same law earlier this year and had just expired.
According to CBS News, those Section 122 and Section 301 tariff moves came after the Supreme Court struck down sweeping tariffs Trump had enacted under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 in February, ruling they were illegally imposed without congressional authorization. In July, the Trump administration applied tariffs of up to 12.5 percent on 60 nations, including Colombia, which it accused of failing to stamp out forced labor.
De la Espriella, a millionaire lawyer-turned-politician, won the Colombian presidency with Trump's endorsement. He succeeded leftist Gustavo Petro, whose administration was frequently at odds with the White House. Petro was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department last October and was the subject of a federal narcotics probe, CBS News reported in March.
Since taking office, de la Espriella has joined the Shield of the Americas, an anti-cartel alliance headed by Trump that includes Argentina, Ecuador and El Salvador. Member states exchange information and coordinate judicial and security forces to address transnational criminal activity. He also plans to forge a military alliance with the U.S. and Israel to bolster his government's fight against guerrillas.
CBS News said it reached out to the White House for comment on the tariff suspension request but had not received a response.