President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday defended his administration’s tariff policies on imported cattle, crediting them for a long-awaited revival in the American ranching industry while urging ranchers to keep prices affordable for consumers.
“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 wrote on Truth Social. “If it weren’t for me, they would be doing just as they’ve done for the past 20 years — Terrible!”
The president added that while his administration’s tariffs had helped strengthen domestic ranching, producers must also recognize the economic pressures facing ordinary Americans. “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!” he said.
Trump has imposed steep tariffs on beef imports from Brazil, one of the world’s largest exporters, in an effort to protect domestic producers and stabilize prices in the U.S. beef market.
The policy has been widely credited among ranchers for boosting demand for American beef, but it has also sparked tensions within the agricultural sector over how to balance consumer prices and producer profits.
The president’s comments come as he faces resistance from within his own party over his recent suggestion that the U.S. could import limited quantities of beef from Argentina to help the struggling South American economy.
Several Republican senators, led by Sen. Deb Fischer of Nebraska, have warned that such a move could undercut the very ranchers Trump has sought to protect.
Fischer, who represents one of the nation’s most important cattle-producing states, cautioned that opening the market to Argentine beef would hurt ranchers who are only beginning to recover. “Nebraska’s ranchers cannot afford to have the rug pulled out from under them when they’re just getting ahead or simply breaking even,” she wrote online Tuesday.
She urged the administration to prioritize trade policies that promote American production rather than foreign imports. “I strongly encourage the Trump administration to focus on trade deals that benefit our [agricultural] producers—not imports that will do more harm than good,” Fischer said.
While the debate over tariffs and trade continues, the administration has also taken steps to assist other sectors hit by global market disruptions.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced that the Department of Agriculture would provide more than $3 billion in aid to farmers affected by China’s decision to halt purchases of American soybeans and other agricultural goods.
The clash over beef imports underscores a broader challenge for the Trump administration: maintaining a delicate balance between protecting domestic industries and keeping consumer prices in check. For Trump, the tariffs represent a cornerstone of his “America First” economic vision—one that seeks to prioritize U.S. labor, industry, and sovereignty in trade negotiations.
As the 2024 election season intensifies, the president’s latest remarks signal his commitment to defending those policies—even as he pushes his own supporters in the ranching industry to adapt to the realities of a volatile global market.
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