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left-of-center2012

(34,195 posts)
Fri Aug 23, 2019, 09:36 PM Aug 2019

National Farmers Union Says Trump Is 'Burning Bridges' With His Trade Wars

A national farm organization representing many of the same rural voters who helped put Donald Trump in the White House issued a scathing statement Friday accusing the president of “burning bridges” with trading partners and making the devastating trade war with China even worse.

?Instead of looking to solve existing problems in our agricultural sector, this administration has just created new ones,” said a statement issued by Roger Johnson, president of the National Farmers Union, which represents about 200,000 family farmers, ranchers and fishers in 33 states. “Between burning bridges with all of our biggest trading partners and undermining our domestic biofuels industry, President Trump is making things worse, not better.”

Johnson said it’s “no surprise” that China is increasing tariffs on U.S. products because each time Trump ratchets up tariffs, “China calls his bluff.” Johnson pointed out that U.S. farm income is down 50% since 2013, and soybean exports to China have fallen nearly 80% in the past three years as American farmers take on “record levels of debt” to weather the storm. “Once these tariffs kick in, things are likely to get worse,” he warned.

The stinging statement is the latest indication of a growing rift between Trump and the farmers he has hailed as “great” patriots who support him.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/national-farmers-union-trump-china-trade-war-attack_n_5d605b63e4b02cc97c8d8f13

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dem4decades

(11,241 posts)
5. Those farmers should be happy to be on the front lines of the trade wars.
Fri Aug 23, 2019, 09:46 PM
Aug 2019

Losing a family farm to a corporate farming conglomerate is so American in the Trump age.

MAGA

Ilsa

(61,675 posts)
6. Now do they finally understand that trump works for putin, not the US?
Fri Aug 23, 2019, 09:46 PM
Aug 2019

Putin wants the US destroyed from within. Trump is happy to make it happen if he can get trump tower moscow built.

Newest Reality

(12,712 posts)
7. You guys
Fri Aug 23, 2019, 09:47 PM
Aug 2019

Just keep on voting Republican because it is part of your ingrained traditional beliefs and don't give it another thought because your prejudices take precedence over your own sense and observations! And if you don't believe in evolution, that's fine, but watch animals and see if adaptation has anything to do with their survival.

If you are such "great patriots" then get over the supremacy and nationalism and act like a true patriot, which means being for the benefit of the entire country and not just a chosen few. That way, we all win. When you know it is NOT just all about your and your kind, then maybe you won't be so vulnerable to being hog tied and screwed.

Or, just keep standing there having your watch stolen while you gape in awe and the sell it back to you over and over again. What is really, really a scream is that you may be at all surprised at this outcome. Don't you know what vultures do? Certainly you have seen vultures.

ret5hd

(20,433 posts)
8. Burning bridges?!?!?!?
Fri Aug 23, 2019, 09:49 PM
Aug 2019

You truly think he was once on your side of the bridge, don't you? Well, this southerner says "Bless your heart".

MontanaFarmer

(630 posts)
11. Truthfully, NFU doesn't represent
Fri Aug 23, 2019, 11:03 PM
Aug 2019

a ton of the farmers who voted for trump. It is a decidedly left- leaning farm organization, and quite dedicated to stopping the corporate takeover of agriculture. To the extent there is a "resistance" movement in farm country, NFU and its member states are often leading it. I'm proud to be a member.

Hekate

(90,189 posts)
12. Thank you for that input. If that's the case, the article was misleading to an extent.
Fri Aug 23, 2019, 11:13 PM
Aug 2019

Welcome to DU.

MontanaFarmer

(630 posts)
14. I agree, it was a little.
Fri Aug 23, 2019, 11:57 PM
Aug 2019

Are there conservative farmers union folks? Yes, of course. 25-40 percent of membership depending on the state. But our policy, going back decades, has been progressive, collectivist, anti-merger, pro-worker and in favor of a strong federal presence in rural America. The fact that our agrarian portion of society has declared themselves such rugged individualists is a giant heaping of fraud. There isn't a farmer in my township, and probably not ten in the state, that are in the black without the federal government.

myohmy2

(3,118 posts)
13. buyers remorse?
Fri Aug 23, 2019, 11:27 PM
Aug 2019

"... U.S. farm income is down 50% since 2013, and soybean exports to China have fallen nearly 80% in the past three years as American farmers take on “record levels of debt” to weather the storm. "





...stormy weather?...not to worry...

...the rank and file farmer will be back in 2020 voting 100% for trump as soon as talk radio blames those Dem Communists for the Chinese trade war...

...guaranteed...
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