Trump's Argentine Beef Plan Creates Rift with American Cattle Ranchers
We’re seeing the very early stages of a political shift in rural America. People who never questioned Trump are starting to wonder if he’s really on their side.
Yesterday, I joined Greg Sargent on The Daily Blast from The New Republic to talk about how Donald Trump’s economic policies are hitting his own rural base so hard that even some MAGA farmers are starting to say they feel betrayed.
You can listen to the whole conversation here: “MAGA Farmers Suddenly Shocked Trump Screwing Them So Badly.”
As Greg and I discussed, President Trump’s policies have pushed rural Americans, both farmers and consumers, to a breaking point. Farmers see what’s happening in their bank accounts. They know how:
Tariffs crushed exports, especially soybeans.
Medicaid cuts closed rural hospitals.
Food stamp cuts hurt grocery stores.
Immigration crackdowns gutted their workforce.
Argentina took over the soybean market and still received a $40 billion bailout.
Now Argentine beef imports threaten their last stable income stream.
These are lived experiences for thousands of American Farmers, not talking points. When farmers start using the word “betrayal,” people listen. And when farmers struggle, rural economies struggle. Countless schools, hospitals, and small businesses depend on a healthy farm economy. Meanwhile, cuts to programs like SNAP, Medicaid, and rural hospital funds have drained local budgets and reduced support for basic services.
Republicans claim they want to help, but their “solutions” are more bailouts for Trump’s failed trade policies, just like in 2018 when the biggest farms got most of the aid.
Rural America is being hollowed out by the very leaders it trusted most. Trump’s chaotic policies drive up costs, and the rising costs create even more chaos. He said America First, but it’s really billionaires first.
During the first Trump term and even for the last year, Fox News pundits and Republican talking points could cover up the negative impacts of Trump’s economic agenda. But now the chickens are coming home to roost.
Farmers are again trapped in a cycle of trade wars, higher costs, and a shrinking labor market. Rural families face rising health care bills, decaying infrastructure, and widening inequality. And the compounding impacts from all of these factors are just too big for even MAGA voters to ignore.
Beef prices have reached record highs in 2025, driven by tight supply, high input costs, and a shrinking U.S. cattle herd. Retail prices are up more than 15 percent this year, yet small ranchers aren’t seeing the profits. The biggest meatpackers continue to dominate, capturing the margins while leaving producers squeezed.
Then last week, Trump suggested that the U.S. should buy beef from Argentina to lower prices. Ranchers were furious. They saw it clearly: Washington is bailing out Argentina while their own cattle sit unsold.
Trump’s alliance with Argentina’s libertarian president, Javier Milei, has already led to billions in U.S. financial support for Buenos Aires, even as American farmers lose export markets. Argentina recently sold millions of tons of soybeans to China, while China imported zero soybeans from the U.S. in September, the first freeze since Trump’s 2018 trade war.
Behind the scenes, billionaires are profiting from the chaos. Trump’s Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, as Judd Legum reported, pushed for the $20 billion bailout that benefited hedge fund billionaire Robert Citrone, a close friend and major investor in Argentine assets. For rural Americans, it’s another sign that Washington is working for hedge funds, not them.
With his plan to import Argentine beef, Trump is again using taxpayer money to manipulate markets for his allies. His trade policies have pitted American farmers against American consumers, hurting both to benefit overseas investors.
What really stood out to me, and what Greg and I discussed, was the response from Meriwether Farms, a small Wyoming operation that posted an open letter to Trump:
“We love you and support you, but your suggestion to buy beef from Argentina to stabilize beef prices would be an absolute betrayal to the American cattle rancher.”
When you’re losing Wyoming ranchers, something is shifting. Trump’s latest move pulls the rug out from under the people most loyal to him - and he kept it up by using his Truth Social account to berate cattle farmers.
So, if some of the most loyal MAGA followers are having doubts, this presents a real opportunity for those who voted for Trump but aren’t totally in the tank. This is demoralizing his base while energizing Democrats to engage voters who have been sitting on the sidelines.
For years, farmers were told by Trump that tariffs and trade wars were short-term pain for long-term gain. They tightened their belts and held on, but after all that sacrifice, Trump pitted them against Argentine imports. It’s a gut punch.
This year was supposed to help farmers pay off debts. Instead, Trump is tanking their markets.
We’re seeing the early stages of a political shift in rural America. It won’t happen overnight, but the margins are moving. People who never questioned Trump are starting to wonder if he’s really on their side.
This year, with help from Rural Ground Game, Democrats fielded candidates in all 100 House of Delegates races for the first time ever. And just this past weekend, millions showed up for No Kings rallies across the country. From small towns to rural communities, turnout was strong, enthusiasm was high, and the message was simple: we’re not alone.
This is the moment for Democratic leaders to step up. There are Democrats everywhere in rural America—they’ve just been ignored. In Virginia, organizers are recruiting candidates in every race. Even when they don’t win, they’re starting to lose by less, which matters in statewide elections.
I am an American small organic farmer who sells produce to local restaurants and on the Farmers Market. I have done this for 30 years. My products are successful only because I market locally within a three state region. Large American farmers are Trump’s targets because he wants to sell their land. Bankrupting their farms is in his Plan so he can gain dollars from the sale of American Farmland to foreign corporations and claim he helped Farmers. Most Farmers were duped by Trump’s false promises and voted for him while wondering if their vote was right. It wasn’t. They voted for their own undoing and losses and now need help. Some Farmers are having to sell Farms that have been in their families for over 100 years. This is so blatantly wrong I find it hard to address. This is the time for Democrats and Independents to step in to rural areas and tell the Truth about Trump. Regardless of what Democrats have done and have not done, the Absolute Truth is that Nobody has honestly addressed Farmers without political pleas. Farmers want to farm! This is what we know how to do and we do it Best. Farmers struggle with Climate -that same Climactic Crisis that Trump calls a hoax. Farmers struggle with dollars—equipment is outrageously expensive and we have to put our farms up for collateral. Farmers need global sales. Farmers need to keep their land and even more, their liability insurances lowered, immigrant help without ICE, recognition of their value to feed not only America but other countries. What Donald Trump doesn’t know and has never considered is the absolute Fury that American Farmers can provoke against his administration. If only the would use their Power.
Trump heard you and he’s going after the meat packing combine.
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/115510343852481018
I have asked the DOJ to immediately begin an investigation into the Meat Packing Companies who are driving up the price of Beef through Illicit Collusion, Price Fixing, and Price Manipulation. We will always protect our American Ranchers, and they are being blamed for what is being done by Majority Foreign Owned Meat Packers, who artificially inflate prices, and jeopardize the security of our Nation’s food supply. Action must be taken immediately to protect Consumers, combat Illegal Monopolies, and ensure these Corporations are not criminally profiting at the expense of the American People. I am asking the DOJ to act expeditiously. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”