Trump sent a message to cattle ranchers Wednesday, defending his tariff policies and urging American ranchers to lower their prices.
“The Cattle Ranchers, who I love, don’t understand that the only reason they are doing so well, for the first time in decades, is because I put Tariffs on cattle coming into the United States, including a 50% Tariff on Brazil,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
“If it weren’t for me, they would be doing just as they’ve done for the past 20 years — Terrible!”
Trump announced plans last week to import beef from Argentina, a move meant to reduce beef prices domestically and aid the bankrupt country ahead of its elections.
But Trump is facing pushback from some Republican senators for his proposal, which they call misguided and harmful.
“Nebraska’s ranchers cannot afford to have the rug pulled out from under them when they’re just getting ahead or simply breaking even,” wrote Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) on social media Tuesday.
“I strongly encourage the Trump administration to focus on trade deals that benefit our [agricultural] producers—not imports that will do more harm than good.”
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association also took exception to Trump’s Wednesday comments, accusing him of “undercutting” U.S. ranchers and compromising the domestic market.
“America’s cattlemen and women operate in one of the most competitive marketplaces in the world. U.S. cattle producers are proud to provide the safest, highest-quality beef on earth,” the organization wrote in a Wednesday post on the social platform X.
