Colombia's Leader Urges Trump to Halt Tariffs After Quake Kills Nearly 300

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella said he spoke by phone with U.S. President Donald Trump and asked him to temporarily lift American tariffs on Colombian goods, following the deadly earthquake that struck the South American country earlier this week. In a post on X late Saturday evening Danish time, de la Espriella wrote that he told Trump: "We have an enormous challenge ahead of us: to rebuild Colombia amid the very difficult and apocalyptic economic situation I have inherited. "I also asked him to temporarily suspend the high tariffs affecting Colombian products, to ease the pressure on our businesspeople, who are in a very difficult situation as a result of the earthquake, the post read.

The president described the conversation with Trump as "very friendly" and cordial. The post did not indicate whether Trump intends to comply with de la Espriella's request. U.S. tariffs on imports of Colombian goods were raised from 10 percent to 12.5 percent on July 24. Certain goods, including coffee and oil, are exempt.