Donald Trump‘s plans to import Argentine beef have rattled a group of the president’s reliable supporters: U.S. cattle producers.
Ranchers say the proposal threatens their livelihoods and undermines domestic markets. Trump says the plan would lower grocery prices for the average American and has argued that the ranchers are thriving thanks to his trade policies.
“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,” he 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.”
Trump called on ranchers to “get their prices down,” saying that “the consumer is a very big factor in my thinking.”
Many ranchers say the proposed Argentine imports threaten domestic producers more than they help consumers. Colin Woodall, CEO of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, said the plan undercut “the future of family farmers and ranchers” while doing little to lower grocery prices.
“It is imperative that President Trump and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins let the cattle markets work,” Woodall said in a statement on Wednesday.
The NVBA argued that striking these deals with Buenos Aires runs counter to the president’s campaign pledges and could jeopardize Americans’ health.
“The United States already faces a deep trade imbalance with Argentina, one that is made worse by the president’s plan,” they wrote. “Furthermore, Argentina is a nation with a long history of foot-and-mouth disease and the USDA has not completed the necessary steps to ensure Argentina can guarantee the safety of the products being shipped here, further endangering America’s cattle herd.”
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Trump’s proposal exposed some rifts among Republican lawmakers. Senators Deb Fischer of Nebraska, Steve Daines of Montana, and John Hoeven of North Dakota signaled concerns with the plan.
Trump defended the moves earlier this week, saying that Argentina was “fighting for its life” and that he would do what he could to help its president, Javier Milei, with whom Trump has a close relationship.
“Don’t make it sound like they’re doing great. They are dying,” Trump said.
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