During his first term as president, Donald Trump launched a trade war against China — a move that turned into a disaster for U.S. farmers. Beginning in January 2018, Trump imposed tariffs on a wide range of products from China, including solar panels, washing machines, steel, aluminum, and consumer goods.
Of course, China retaliated by punishing industries produced in areas that they believed had voted predominantly for Donald Trump – specifically imposing tariffs on some U.S. exports and sharply reducing purchases of others. The loss of one of their largest export markets caused such hardship to farmers that the federal government had to bail them out by providing financial assistance.
Fast forward to 2025.
Many farmers live in counties that supported Trump — and now find themselves harmed by policies they backed. China has cut or severely reduced many of its U.S. agricultural goods, dealing yet another severe blow to American farmers. Once again, the federal government is stepping in to provide bailouts to those affected.
To make matters worse, farmers have also been hit by Trump’s renewed immigration crackdowns. ICE began raiding farms to deport their workers – a practice that had to be paused and then abandoned once it became clear to the nitwits in Washington that doing so could actually cripple food production. Who could have ever foreseen that?
Meanwhile, Trump’s escalating trade war with China has left some crops rotting in fields and other being plowed under to make room for next year’s planting. And once again, farmers are pleading for bailouts funded by taxpayers to offset the devastating financial losses.
I’m torn. The last thing these farmers deserve is yet another taxpayer-funded bailout — but on the other hand, refusing aid would punish not just the farmers themselves, but the entire agricultural supply chain. It would also accelerate corporate consolidation of U.S. agriculture, tightening the stranglehold of big agribusiness.
It’s a tough situation — one the farmers created for themselves. And for the rest of us, too.