Trump's trade wars have brought misery to the nation's farmers, particularly in the Midwest, where their profits have taken a dive and meat is being warehoused rather than shipped.
While the trade wars are terrible for farmers, they're not the only ones taking a hit. For every tariff Trump imposes, China, Canada and the EU apply their own, creating pain in nearly every industry there is.
But rural voters are Trump voters, so he decided to take care of them first.
The aid to farmers, announced by the United States Department of Agriculture, will come through a direct assistance program, one designed to help with food purchase and distribution and one specifically geared toward promoting trade.
The move is an indication that Mr. Trump — ignoring the concerns of farmers, their representatives in Congress, and even some of his own aides about the adverse consequences of a trade war he says he relishes — plans to plow forward in escalating his tariff tit-for-tat around the world.
“The actions today are a firm statement that other nations cannot bully our agricultural producers to force the United States to cave in,” Sonny Perdue, the secretary of agriculture, said during a call with reporters to unveil the program. “This administration will not stand by while our hard-working agricultural producers bear the brunt of unfriendly and illegal tariffs.”
So, let's review. Trump started an unnecessary trade war by imposing tariffs on China, Canada, the EU and Mexico. Said trade war caused the farmers serious financial pain, so they found billions to assist said farmers, while leaving other industries to wither or lie fallow, while leaving Flint water in terrible condition, while rocking our economy because Trump feels fine "playing with the bank's money."
President Donald Trump said the stock market rally since his election victory gives him the opportunity to be more aggressive in his trade war with China and other countries.
“This is the time. You know the expression we’re playing with the bank’s money,” he told CNBC's Joe Kernen in a “Squawk Box” interview aired Friday.
Do you think Fox News will be all up in arms about socialist Trump redistributing wealth to the farmers from whom he has taken their profits? They certainly won't recognize it for the bribe that it is.
