Ranchers issue blistering reply to president: 'Cattlemen can't stand behind Trump'

National Cattlemen's Beef Association has issued a blistering response to President Donald Trump's comments about American cattle ranchers.

Trump on Wednesday said, "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."

"If it weren’t for me, they would be doing just as they’ve done for the past 20 years — Terrible!" he claimed. "It would be nice if they would understand that, but they also have to get their prices down, because the consumer is a very big factor in my thinking, also!"

The association reposted Trump's comments on Facebook, along with a reply.

"The reality is that ranchers’ success is driven by their own hard work," it stated. "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. We simply ask that the government not undercut them by importing more Argentinian beef in order to manipulate prices."

The group continued, adding, "Cattlemen and women cannot stand behind President Trump while he undercuts the future of family farmers and ranchers by importing Argentinian beef."

"It is imperative that President Trump and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins let cattle markets work without interference," the organization then concluded. "If the administration is truly an ally of America’s cattle producers, we call on him to abandon this effort to manipulate markets and focus instead on completing the promised New World Screwworm facility in Texas; make additional investments that protect the domestic cattle herd from foreign animal diseases such as FMD; and address regulatory burdens, such as delisting of the gray wolf and addressing the scourge of black vultures."