President Donald Trump attacked ranchers after they pushed back on his plan to import beef from Argentina to help ease record prices for beef.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund United Stockgrowers of America and other farming groups condemned the president's casual remark about importing beef from Argentina, and Trump lashed out at them in a Wednesday afternoon Truth Social post.
"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. "If it weren’t for me, they would be doing just as they’ve done for the past 20 years — Terrible!"
Trump suggested ranchers were insufficiently grateful and blamed them for higher prices for consumers.
"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!" Trump posted.
U.S. ranchers have been enjoying some rare profitable years in an industry that ebbs and flows, but agricultural economists say Argentine beef accounts for only about 2 percent of beef imports, so even doubling that amount would not change consumer prices by much but could create uncertainty for ranchers and make them less likely to invest in raising more cattle.
“I love ‘Make America Great Again’ rhetoric. I love ‘America First’ rhetoric,” South Dakota rancher Brett Kenzy told the Associated Press. “But to me this feels a lot like the failed policies of the past — the free trade sourcing cheap global goods.”
Trump's tariffs on Brazil, which is a much bigger beef importer than Argentina, and limits on Mexico due to concerns about a parasitic infection have driven down beef imports and spiked prices for meat.
"In addition to everything else, Tariffs on other Countries SAVED our Cattle Ranchers!" Trump insisted.
