ACT I
President Donald Trump posts on Fact Social in March:
To the Nice Farmers of the USA: Prepare to begin making a variety of agricultural product to be bought INSIDE of the USA. Tariffs will go on exterior product on April 2nd. Have enjoyable!
ACT II
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins says in April:
There is not any one which’s going to struggle tougher or smarter or extra strategically than @POTUS—for ALL People … we’re going to put America FIRST; not China, not India, not beef from Argentina, not dairy merchandise from Canada — however America first.
ACT III
Trump says in October:
Trump: “The one worth we now have that is excessive is beef, and we’ll get that down. And one of many issues we’re serious about doing is beef from Argentina.
Weirdly, American farmers don’t like this play. The individuals who most strongly supported Trump in all three of his elections at the moment are crying about it.
“NCBA’s household farmers and ranchers have quite a few considerations with importing extra Argentinian beef to decrease costs for customers. This plan solely creates chaos at a vital time of the yr for American cattle producers, whereas doing nothing to decrease grocery retailer costs,” mentioned Colin Woodall, CEO of the Nationwide Cattlemen’s Beef Affiliation, a strongly pro-Trump group.
Truly, this self-interested trade hack is mistaken. Importing Argentinian beef will decrease costs. It’s fundamental Econ 101: extra provide means decrease costs.
And that’s precisely the issue for America’s farmers—they’re not important. If meals might be produced cheaper elsewhere, we’ll purchase it elsewhere.
For many years, blue America and blue cities in crimson states have sponsored rural America’s inefficiency—funding hospitals, colleges, postal service, broadband, and different infrastructure in locations with extra cows than folks. And for that generosity, we’ve been repaid with resentment, bigotry, division, and the election of the person who embodies all of it.
So to hell with all their valuable subsidies. There’s a sure poetic justice in watching Trump’s most loyal supporters turn out to be his newest victims. Simply months after his agriculture secretary promised to guard them from Argentinian beef within the title of “America First,” Trump threw them beneath the tractor.
That’s the story of Trumpism, actually—betrayal dressed up as populism—as he works to assist his associates (in this case, Argentina’s right-wing president Javier Milei) on the expense of his nation.
Now, the individuals who cheered him the loudest are lastly studying what the remainder of us already knew.
