Trump Cabinet official heaps praise on president after sharp criticism leaks

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Tuesday offered a strong public defense of the Trump administration’s support for farmers, downplaying concerns about its foreign‑policy decisions — just a day after a scathing private text message surfaced in which she criticized U.S. aid to Argentina for undermining American farmers.

The Daily Beast reported Tuesday that in an interview with Fox News, Rollins praised the administration by saying “President Trump has been the most pro-farmer president perhaps in our lifetimes, perhaps in history.”

Later, speaking to reporters, she added, “The amount of tariff money that is coming into our country is stunning. The president had a vision, he’s effectuating the vision, the vision is pretty remarkable. The whole entire world economy is now realigning around American products.”

However, that upbeat public tone stands in contrast to an earlier text message she reportedly sent to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during the U.N. General Assembly.

In a photograph published by The Associated Press showing Bessent’s phone, Rollins slammed the administration’s move to bail out Argentina:

“We bailed out Argentina yesterday (Bessent) and in return, the Argentine’s removed their export tariffs on grains, reducing their price, and sold a bunch of soybeans to China, at a time when we would normally be selling to China. Soy prices dropping further because of it. This gives China more leverage on us,” she wrote.

The Trump administration has struggled to project a unified narrative on farming and trade policy. Officials have publicly asserted that new tariffs and trade deals are reshaping the global economy in America’s favor. On the other hand, agricultural groups and farmers themselves warn that the same policies are causing market instability, driving up costs and weakening U.S. export relationships.