Donald Trump’s tariff wars have left some of his key voter groups facing tough challenges.
After returning to the White House in January, Trump vowed to implement major changes.
The 79-year-old sparked controversy in April when he unveiled a series of new tariffs, promising they would significantly boost the U.S. economy.
Since then, Trump has continued to insist that his tariff strategy has been a success, dismissing criticism from his opponents.
However, one expert claims that a group Trump promised would gain from these tariffs may actually be worse off, as China’s retaliatory measures have hit them particularly hard.
In an interview with HuffPost, Paul Mitchell, a professor of agriculture and applied economics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, explained that farmers who once profited from trading agricultural products with China are now facing significant losses.
He emphasized that the “tariffs add insult to injury,” noting that the agricultural sector is already battling other challenges like extreme weather, pests, and crop diseases.
Mitchell also pointed out that when Trump first imposed the tariffs—affecting those who trade most heavily with China—he assured farmers who depend on the East Asian market that the move would be a “financial boon.”
Back in March, Trump declared, “Our farmers are going to have a field day… to our farmers, have a lot of fun, I love you.”
However, things didn’t go as planned because of China’s counteraction.
After Trump imposed tariffs, China retaliated with its own, igniting a “trade war.” In response, the Chinese government stopped purchasing soybeans from the U.S.
Mitchell explained, “Corn and soybeans are the backbone of U.S. agriculture — they account for about half of the nation’s crop revenue. China alone buys around 60 percent of the world’s traded soybeans.
“So when China decides not to buy from us, it delivers a major blow to our exports.”
Mitchell noted that Trump was fully aware of the problem and even addressed it on social media, criticizing China’s actions.
The President also announced that he would implement measures to support the farmers affected by the economic fallout.
Posting on Truth Social on Wednesday (October 1), Trump wrote:
“Our country’s soybean farmers are being hurt because China, for ‘negotiating’ reasons only, has stopped buying. We’ve earned so much from tariffs that we’ll use a small portion of that money to support our farmers.
I WILL NEVER LET OUR FARMERS DOWN! Sleepy Joe Biden failed to enforce our agreement with China, under which they were supposed to purchase billions of dollars’ worth of our agricultural products — especially soybeans. Everything will work out just fine. I LOVE OUR PATRIOTS, AND EVERY FARMER IS ONE OF THEM!
I’ll be meeting with President Xi of China in four weeks, and soybeans will be a key topic. LET’S MAKE SOYBEANS AND OTHER CROPS GREAT AGAIN!”
