Gov. Walz blasts Trump trade war as ‘Destroying American farmers’

The Brief

• Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz spoke on the weekly DNC press call, blaming Trump’s ego for starting a trade war with China.

• Democrats are launching an ad campaign featuring a soybean farmer.

• The Trump administration is expected to announce an aid package for farmers affected by tariffs soon.

(FOX 9) – It is a message you can expect to hear a lot from Democrats: Tariffs imposed by the Trump administration are devastating for farmers, particularly soybean farmers.

Democratic strategy

What we know

Gov. Walz made remarks during the weekly DNC media call on Tuesday, joined by an Illinois 5th generation farmer who is the star of a new ad campaign being launched by Democrats.

Walz blamed the current trade war on Trump’s ego.

“It took decades to establish these markets,” Walz said. “China didn’t just sign one-year contracts with Argentina. They signed, some of them, up to a decade long, and it’s going to take us years to get these markets back.”

Major market lost

By the numbers

In 2024, according to the USDA, China purchased over $12 billion in soybeans from the US. After new tariffs took effect in May, they’ve purchased none.

Instead, China heavily invested in Argentina and Brazil.

There’s a real fear that even if tariffs are adjusted to lure China back as a customer, that market may be gone long term.

But farmer John Bartman, who was part of the call, said there is no time to wait.

“We gotta get something done. We don’t have time. This is stupid, just stupid,” he said on Tuesday.

‘Band-aid on a bullet wound’

What’s next

The Trump administration insists that tariffs will ultimately help U.S. farmers by opening up new global markets. And they say farmers will benefit from the tariffs collected in the form of an aid package expected to be announced soon.

But Bartman, who is featured in a new ad that Democrats will roll out in six states, says bailout money is a short-term fix, not a long-term solution.

“A bailout is like putting a band-aid on a bullet wound,” said Bartman. “Government bail-outs do not make up for our loss of income… We don’t want a bailout, we want markets for our crops.”

Despite the partisan nature of this discussion, on a DNC media call, Walz insisted it should not be political.

He said Democrats should support a Trump bailout package for farmers because they desperately need it. But he hopes both sides can also support softening a trade war with China.

“There should be no partisan in this one,” said Walz. “We should be joined by Republican representatives saying the exact same thing, because I know they’re hearing it from their constituents.”