TACO strikes again: Italian pasta becomes the latest product to have tariffs slashed by Trump
President Donald Trump’s administration slashed proposed tariffs on Italian pasta manufacturers in January 2025, reducing rates from 92 percent to between 2 and 14 percent for specific companies and 9 percent for others. The Department of Commerce had initially accused 13 Italian pasta makers of unfair trade practices and “dumping” products below market rates, with La Molisana and Garofalo cited for failing to cooperate with pricing investigations. Italy’s government contested these allegations through its embassy in Washington, D.C., and the companies’ cooperation prompted the dramatic reversal.
Italy’s Foreign Ministry characterized the tariff reduction as recognition of the companies’ “constructive willingness to cooperate,” according to Reuters. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had expected her alignment with Trump to shield Italian companies from steep levies, making the initial high tariff proposal a source of political embarrassment. Italy’s pasta exports totaled approximately $4.7 billion in 2024, with the United States accounting for roughly $800 million of that revenue.
The pasta tariff reversal represents another rollback in Trump’s tariff regime, following a pattern critics label “Trump Always Chickens Out” (TACO). The administration delayed furniture and kitchen cabinet tariffs for one year on New Year’s Eve, removed tariffs from over 200 agricultural products in November, and announced a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs affecting Canada and Mexico earlier in 2025.
National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett defended the reversals to CNBC and ABC News in November, claiming the policy shifts do not indicate failure and attributing price increases to factors beyond tariffs. The Trump administration maintains its tariff strategy remains intact despite the recurring delays and rollbacks.
Polling data demonstrates widespread consumer concerns about pricing: more than one-third of Trump’s own voters reported the cost of living as the worst they have experienced, according to a November Politico survey. The Supreme Court is currently reviewing whether Trump’s claim of emergency powers to impose tariffs by executive order is constitutional, with Trump warning the court in November against “serving hostile foreign interests” ahead of its ruling.