Donald Trump's new Argentina beef plan branded 'absolute betrayal' by US ranchers
President Trump announced he was looking to buy Argentinian beef to lower prices for American consumers, sparking backlash from local producers.
President Donald Trump is facing a backlash from his biggest supporters after revealing plans to buy beef from Argentina, a move ranchers warn could devastate American farmers.
“We would buy some beef from Argentina,” the Republican president told reporters aboard Air Force One during a flight from Florida to Washington on Sunday. “If we do that, that will bring our beef prices down.”
Beef prices have hit record highs this year, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The price hike is fueled in part by ongoing droughts and depleted herd counts in Mexico, which imports beef to the U.S., due to a flesh-eating pest in local cattle herds.
According to recent data from the Department of Labor, the beef and veal index rose 13.9% in the year preceding August, with uncooked beef steaks soaring 16.6%. Predictions say the prices will likely remain high for the foreseeable future, Newsweek reports.
Trump did not specify how much beef he would be looking to buy from the South American country, though he added that he was “not talking about that much.” He explained that a potential deal “would help Argentina, which we consider a very good country, a very good ally.”
The president’s comments come days after his administration said they would be looking to provide an additional $20 billion in financing from Argentina, on top of the $20 billion credit swap line that the U.S. Treasury pledged to Argentinian President Javier Milei in hopes of recovering the country’s collapsing economy.
Last week, at a White House meeting with Milei, Trump said his administration wanted to help “our neighbors” with the aid package, suggesting that the money could be pulled if his party did not win the upcoming midterm elections on Oct. 26.
The president’s staunch support for Argentina has drawn criticism, as many wonder if his committed aid would benefit foreign producers more than American ones.
When he was asked this question directly on Air Force One, Trump, who campaigned on an America First mentality, promising to bring more opportunities to local farmers and businesses, seemed to ignore it.
“Argentina is fighting for its life,” he said. “Nothing is benefiting Argentina.”
The president's America First rhetoric worked in his favor at the polls, as the country’s most farming-dependent counties overwhelmingly backed him by an average of 77.7%, according to Investigate Midwest. However, his recent comments quickly sparked outrage from American producers, including Meriwether Farms, who issued a direct message to the commander-in-chief.
“We love you and support you— but your suggestion to buy beef from Argentina to stabilize beef prices would be an absolute betrayal to the American cattle rancher,” the beef producer wrote on X. The company added that it admires the president’s “concern for all Americans,” but that if the plan goes through, beef producers would suffer.
Likewise, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association released a statement on Monday, describing the plan as chaotic.
“This plan only creates chaos at a critical time of the year for American cattle producers, while doing nothing to lower grocery store prices,” Colin Woodall, CEO of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, said.
Meanwhile, Spencer Hakiman, founder of Tolou Capital Management, wrote: “Our own farmers go bankrupt and lose everything. Argentina gets another bailout. Are we at $50B to Milei yet?”