President Trump announced Friday that the United States will waive tariffs on imported ground beef for the next 90 days, an attempt to knock down grocery prices that have climbed to record highs amid a persistent domestic cattle shortage.

"For the next 90 days, the United States will allow up to 300,000 metric tons of product for ground beef to be imported with no out of quota tariff," Trump said, announcing the move on Truth Social, according to Forbes. In exchange, the administration says it has secured a commitment from foreign beef exporters to sell that imported product at 25% below current market prices.

The move responds to numbers that have alarmed shoppers and Republican strategists alike: ground beef averaged a record $6.89 a pound in July, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data tracked by the St. Louis Fed — up roughly 83% from a 2017 low of $3.77 and the highest figure on record for the measure. The spike traces back to a shrinking U.S. cattle herd, which has been rebuilding slowly after years of drought pushed ranchers to cull.

A Political Problem, Too

The tariff waiver lands as Trump's handling of the economy has become a political liability. A Financial Times/Focaldata poll cited by Forbes found 53% of voters feel worse off financially during his second term, with voters trusting Democrats over Republicans on inflation and cost-of-living issues — a reversal of ground Trump built his 2024 campaign on.

NO OUT OF QUOTA TARIFF FOR 90 DAYS

It isn't the administration's first attempt to ease beef costs. In May, Trump delayed a planned suspension of certain beef imports over objections from ranchers worried about a flood of cheap foreign product undercutting domestic prices. Earlier this year, he separately expanded Argentina's import quota for lean beef trimmings, used heavily in ground beef production, by 80,000 metric tons.

The White House has not said which countries or companies have agreed to the 25% discount, and a formal executive order codifying the 90-day exemption is expected within roughly two weeks, according to officials cited by Al Jazeera. Cattle ranchers, who have benefited from high prices even as consumers have suffered, are watching closely to see whether the import surge cuts into their own gains once herds recover.

For now, the relief is temporary by design — 90 days meant to buy time while domestic supply catches up, not a permanent fix for a herd that ranchers say could take years to rebuild.