Trump betrayed farmers. Now real signs of anger show. [View all]
New York real estate developer Donald Trump has openly courted the farm vote every time he’s run for president. Green hats emblazoned with “Make Our Farmers Great Again” were commonplace at Trump rallies during all three of his national campaigns. In the 2024 election, American farmers again supported him.
But things are different now. President Trump’s trade policies have punched farmers in the mouth, and this time there’s no global pandemic to blame. Last year, America’s crop farmers lost $34.6 billion, and farm bankruptcies surged to numbers not seen since 2020, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. This year, 70 percent of farmers surveyed claim they cannot afford all the fertilizers they need. Fuel costs continue to rise as the Iran conflict remains unresolved and the Strait of Hormuz remains closed.
Ninety-four percent of farmers reported that their financial situation has “worsened or remained the same” since last year. Fifteen thousand farms closed in 2025 alone. The New York Times chronicles the closing of American family farms: Bankruptcies were up 55 percent in 2024, 46 percent in 2025 and 70 percent by May of this year.
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Trade wars, waged with little to no coherent strategy, have left the largest buyers of American produce — Mexico, Canada, and China — looking elsewhere. From the end of May through November last year, China didn’t purchase a single American soybean, choosing to do business with Brazil instead. Meanwhile, American agricultural exports to Canada decreased by more than $1 billion, in part because of Canadian boycotts of American products.
States whose economies rely on agriculture are struggling, and it’s showing up in the polls. In Ohio, JD Vance’s old Senate seat and the governor’s mansion are considered toss-ups. Polls for the Senate race in North Carolina, another agriculture-heavy state, show Democratic former governor Roy Cooper with a healthy lead over former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Whatley. Iowa, another state synonymous with agriculture, is currently rated as likely Republican for its open Senate seat but polls continue to show a tight race and the Democrat winning the governor’s race.
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