President Donald Trump is facing growing anger from farmers who once strongly supported him but now fear they could lose their livelihoods despite promised government assistance. In interviews with The Washington Post, farmers across the Midwest described deepening anxiety over tariffs that have disrupted export markets and slashed crop prices.
While many initially backed Trump’s aggressive trade strategy, patience appears to be wearing thin as losses mount and relief funds fall short. One farmer who voted for Trump three times summed up the shifting mood: “For the most part, farmers we’ve been willing to kind of go along. But I don’t know about now.”
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Washington Post reporter Cleve R. Wootson Jr. noted that the administration’s $11 billion bailout for farmers amounts to a tacit admission that Trump’s trade policies have destabilized agriculture and placed many farms at risk. For producers already operating on thin margins, the aid may come too late to prevent irreversible damage.
Iowa farmer Aaron Lehman, a fifth-generation producer, said the problem is not just financial loss but the absence of a clear strategy. “What we’re seeing right now is we’ve broken all of the trade structures without a real plan to put it back together in the right way,” Lehman said. “Farmers are willing to be a part of the solution, but I don’t think they’re willing just to be a pawn in a trade war that has no path or plan to get to true reform. That’s the disappointing part, because we’re not getting close to a fairer path.”
Economists echo those concerns. Chad Hart, an agricultural economics professor at Iowa State University, warned that even generous assistance cannot undo prolonged market disruption. “The hope for a quick turnaround is now gone,” Hart said. “If you’re holding out hope, that hope is now, at best, looking like it won’t come until a year to three years down the road.”
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Industry leaders say the consequences could be severe. Tom Adam, president of the Iowa Soybean Association, said many farmers may not survive the downturn. “It’s probably not going to be enough. It’s not going to make a farmer wealthy by any means,” Adam said. “And there will be some farms that may not make it through.”
Adam added that he has heard from growers who believe this year could be their last. “Whether it’s bankruptcy or whether they want to just try something else,” he said, “you can’t rescue everyone.” As tariffs continue to reshape global trade, many farmers who once stood firmly behind Trump are now questioning whether loyalty alone can keep their farms alive.
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