Trump tells farmers tariffs will help them, urges them to 'have fun'

President Donald Trump professed his “love” for American farmers in an address to Congress Tuesday night, saying that the widespread tariffs he is imposing would allow them to out-compete foreign imports.

Trump acknowledged that American producers may have to experience “a little bit of an adjustment period” after he places reciprocal tariffs on all U.S. trading partners April 2. He had already placed 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico today and increased earlier 10% tariffs imposed on China to 20%.

Trump referred back to his 2020-21 phase one trade deal with China, which pledged to buy $50 billion of American ag goods.

China did not fulfill its commitment under that deal, buying about 83% of the total commitment of $73.9 billion, according to the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

Trump blamed Biden for the shortfall. “The problem with it was, Biden didn't enforce it.”

Of the reciprocal tariffs, Trump said, “Other countries have used tariffs against us for decades, and now it's our turn to start using them against those other countries,” Trump said. “The European Union, China, Brazil, India, Mexico and Canada. Have you heard of them, and countless other nations charge us tremendously higher tariffs than we charge them. It's very unfair.”

Trump implied that foreign ag goods are inferior to American products. 

“Our new trade policy will also be great for the American farmer … who will now be selling into our home market, the U.S.A., because nobody is going to be able to compete with you, because those goods that come in from other countries and companies, they’re really in a bad position in so many ways. They’re uninspected; they may be very dirty and disgusting, and they come in and they pour in, and they hurt our American farmers.”

Trump said farmers would have to "bear with him" as the tariffs go into effect.

“But our farmers are going to have a field day right now," he said. "So to our farmers, have a lot of fun. I love you too,” Trump said.

During the speech, Trump also urged Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who was sitting in the front row, to “do a good job” in reducing the price of eggs, which have risen significantly because of the ongoing highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak and California's Prop. 12.

Trump accused former President Joe Biden of allowing the price of eggs to get “out of control” and said his administration was “working hard to get it back down.” Then, to Rollins, he said “Secretary, do a good job on that. You inherited a total mess from the previous administration. Do a good job.”

Some farm groups had registered their disapproval of Trump’s tariffs before the speech, including the American Soybean Association, American Seed Trade Association, Agricultural Retailers Association and The Fertilizer Institute.

TFI and ARA recognized the Trump administration’s “commitment to strengthening American industry, including the agriculture economy. However, we are concerned about the impact of the 25 percent tariffs on Canadian imports to farmers and the entire agriculture supply chain.

“The 25 percent tariffs on critical fertilizer imports from Canada, including potash, ammonium sulfate, nitrogen fertilizers and sulfur will drive up the cost of production for U.S. farmers,” the groups said. “These costs ripple throughout the agriculture community, ultimately leading to higher prices at the grocery store.”

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“We urge continued engagement between the U.S. and Canada to resolve the outstanding border security issues, and barring a quick agreement, we request the Trump administration to provide a strategic carve-out from the tariffs, which should also include critical minerals designation for potash as well as phosphate.”

ASTA President and CEO Andy LaVigne said “the news of additional tariffs, as well as expected retaliatory tariffs, introduce significant uncertainty that will negatively impact those who help grow the food, feed, fiber, and fuel for millions of American families.”

And ASA President Caleb Ragland said “farmers are frustrated. Tariffs are not something to take lightly and 'have fun' with. Not only do they hit our family businesses squarely in the wallet, but they rock a core tenet on which our trading relationships are built, and that is reliability. Being able to reliably supply a quality product to them consistently.”

Trump also gave a shout-out to the purchase of two Panama Canal ports by an American company. “We're taking it back,” he said of the canal.

Trump ended his speech with some lofty rhetoric.

"Is our turn to take America's destiny into our own hands and begin the most thrilling days in the history of our country," Trump said. "This will be our greatest era. With God's help, over the next four years, we are going to lead this nation even higher, and we are going to forge the freest, most advanced, most dynamic and most dominant civilization ever to exist on the face of this earth.

"We are going to create the highest quality of life, safest and wealthiest and healthiest and most vital communities anywhere in the world. We are going to conquer the vast frontiers of science, and we're going to lead humanity into space and plant the American flag on the planet Mars and even far beyond," he said.

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