Trump’s Argentina Beef Import Plan Sparks Backlash From U.S. Ranchers
By Jason Lemon
President Donald Trump's new plan to purchase additional beef from Argentina to lower prices for consumers in the United States has sparked backlash from critics and alarm from some American producers—as the administration already faces questions and criticism for its recent $20 billion bailout of the South American nation.
Meriwether Farms, a beef producer based in Wyoming that said it supports and loves Trump, described the plan as an "absolute betrayal to the American cattle rancher" in an X post Monday. "The continued manipulation and betrayal by the very people who claim to support them [cattle ranchers], needs to end immediately," the producer said.
Why It Matters
Trump is acutely aware of voters’ concerns about inflation, a key issue that helped to deliver him the White House in the 2024 election—and one that could hurt him in next year’s midterms if the cost of living remains a problem under his leadership.
The announcement also came as the Trump White House has sought to help ally Javier Milei, the libertarian president of Argentina, avert an economic crisis in his country with a $20 billion bailout, a move that has sparked criticism from American farmers and some within his own MAGA movement.
What to Know
Trump said Sunday that his administration would import beef from Argentina to help tackle persistently high prices as the supply is throttled by drought, a flesh-eating pest and other issues affecting cattle.
"We would buy some beef from Argentina,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he traveled from Florida to Washington, D.C. “If we do that, that will bring our beef prices down.”
The price of beef, alongside other everyday essentials, has soared this year largely because screwworm outbreaks have weakened already diminished cattle herds.
According to the most recent data from the Department of Labor, the beef and veal index rose 13.9 percent in the 12 months to August, with uncooked beef steaks up 16.6 percent. Experts believe beef prices will remain elevated for the foreseeable future, given the lengthy process of replenishing herds and high tariffs on key exporting nations such as Brazil.
Meriwether Farms sounded the alarm on the plan, with a message directed at the president.
"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. While the company said it understands that prices are currently high, and that it admires Trump's "concern for all Americans," it said that beef producers would suffer if the plan moves forward.
The producer said high prices are "the fault of politicians who have allowed BRICS-aligned entities to dominate the meat industry, that participate in price fixing and who also continually lie to their consumers. It accused Washington of facilitating "the squeezing of our own ranchers" for decades, "while allowing these entities to flood the market with cheaper, lower-quality imports."
Trump's Argentina Beef Plan Criticized
Others on social media were quick to criticize the move as well.
"Guess when you get tired of bending over soybean growers, you can move on to cattle ranchers," Christopher Gibbs, a farmer and the chair of the Shelby County Democratic Party in Ohio, wrote in an X post.
Spencer Hakimian, 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?"
"Somehow, buying beef from Argentina, instead of struggling US farmers, is 'America First.' I’d like reporters to ask Republicans to explain how," Melanie D'Arrigo, executive director of Campaign for New York Health, wrote.
In an apparently sarcastic response to the plan, liberal political and economic blogger Matthew Yglesias wrote: "America First. Amazing."
Why Does Argentina Need a Bailout?
The Trump administration intervened in Argentina’s currency market after Milei's party suffered a big loss in a local election last month. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the $20 billion financial rescue for the country, which boosted the peso.
However, given spending cuts within the U.S, the financial support was criticized by some, such as Democrats as well as Republicans, who said the money should have gone to Americans.
"Americans are getting decimated with high cost of living and skyrocketing insurance costs," Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, wrote on X last week. "Many of them have zero savings and some are maxing out credit cards to survive."
"Tell me how it’s America First to bailout a foreign country with $20 or even $40 BILLION taxpayer dollars," she added.
As Argentina faces financial turmoil ahead of midterm elections on October 26, the country's voters can voice their support or opposition to Milei's cost-cutting, free-market reform agenda.
What People Are Saying
Justin Tupper, president of the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association, in a press release: "When policymakers hint at intervention or suggest quick fixes, they can shake the market’s foundation and directly impact the livelihoods of ranchers who depend on stable, transparent pricing. Sudden price moves make it harder for independent producers to plan, invest, and keep their operations running.”
U.S. President Donald Trump to reporters aboard Air Force One: “We would buy some beef from Argentina. If we do that, that will bring our beef prices down because our groceries are down, our energy prices are down. I think we’re going to have $2 gasoline pretty soon—we’re getting close—and everything’s down. The one thing that’s kept up is beef. And if we buy some beef—I’m not talking about that much—from Argentina, it would help Argentina, which we consider a very good country, a very good ally in a place.
“Although I must tell you, if you take a look now, South America is turning. Those South American countries are starting to turn very much toward us. They’re getting away from socialism, and you can go right down the pack. But they are starting to turn. It’s pretty amazing.”
Meriwether Farms on X: "Why is it that members of Congress, Cabinet Secretaries, and other senior government officials continue to call farmers and ranchers the 'backbone of the country' while simultaneously screwing them with disastrous policy decisions? Do they even believe what they are saying or do they think we are stupid?"
