American farmers who overwhelmingly supported President Trump in 2024 are now expressing shock that his trade policies are devastating their livelihoods.
Farming-dependent counties backed Trump with approximately 78% support in the 2024 election, despite experiencing similar economic pain during his first-term trade war with China. These same communities are now facing what experts are calling a completely foreseeable crisis of bankruptcies and farm foreclosures.
Farm bankruptcies have surged, nearly doubling in early 2025 compared to the previous year, with Chapter 12 filings accelerating as Trump's tariffs on Chinese goods prompted retaliatory measures. China, historically the purchaser of over half of U.S. soybean exports, has effectively stopped buying American soybeans following the imposition of tariffs, instead turning to Brazil and other South American suppliers.
"We're not doing well at all," one farmer told reporters, somehow managing to sound surprised despite living through an identical scenario just six years ago.
One Arkansas farmer stated he has never been as worried about whether his children would be able to continue farming, a concern that might have been worth considering before casting his ballot. Meanwhile, soybean prices have collapsed by approximately 40% since 2022, while Trump's tariffs have increased the cost of essential farming imports, creating what economists call "a textbook example of exactly what everyone said would happen."
The administration has responded with a proposed $12 billion bailout—significantly less than what farmers are projected to lose—leading some producers to express confusion about why their vote for economic nationalism didn't result in economic prosperity. Sources confirm the farmers would prefer actual customers and trade deals to government handouts, though apparently not enough to have voted accordingly.
China has begun purchasing soybeans from Argentina at discounted rates, establishing new trade relationships that are expected to outlast any temporary American bailout. Experts note this represents a permanent restructuring of global agricultural markets, though farmers insist they couldn't possibly have anticipated this extremely anticipated outcome.
