Trump Wants to Sell Farmers on Lockdown and Trade Policy

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday urged farmers to stick with his guidance even as many of them struggle with the fallout from his trade war with China and a partial government shutdown.

“No one understands better than our great farmers that the tough decisions we make today bear fruit for centuries to come,” Trump said, adding that their “greatest harvest” was yet to come.

“We are making trade deals that will bring you so much business you won’t believe it,” he said.

In a speech at the 100th annual convention of the American Farm Bureau Federation, Trump said the American heartland largely supported him in 2016 and promised that his policies would ultimately help agriculture, despite short-term problems.

The president spent much of an hour-long speech defending his decision to hold off on spending billions of dollars to build a long-promised wall on the southern border, which led to a standoff with Congress and the longest government shutdown in history.

Trump has said the wall is needed to curb illegal immigration, even as border crossings have declined in recent years. He added that it would lead to immigration reform that would help farmers find the workers they need to work their fields.

“You need people to help you run the farms,” Trump said. “It makes it easier for them to get there.”

Despite Trump’s assurances, many farmers are feeling the effects of his policies.

The Department of Agriculture, which has felt the effects of the shutdown, is working to mitigate its effects on American farmers.

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue last week extended the deadline for growers affected by Trump’s trade war with China to apply for federal aid intended to offset losses. But some farmers will have to wait until the government reopens to see their checks.

In addition, the Agricultural Services Agency, which provides loans to farmers, has been closed since the first week of the lockdown.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement that Trump could help by signing a bipartisan bill passed by the Democratic-controlled House to reopen the Agriculture Department “instead of wasting farmers’ time with empty words.” The bill must first pass the Senate before it can go to Trump’s desk, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, has refused to bring individual government funding bills passed by the House to a vote.

About 500 demonstrators marched outside the convention center to protest the president, some holding signs that read “Open the government now” and “Deport Trump.” But some farmers attending the convention said they still support Trump despite all the hardships they feel.

Richard Musel of Bennington, Neb., a corn and soybean farmer, described the business as “marginal” but said he didn’t blame Trump. Musel said Trump had been good to farmers and had no choice but to be tough on China. He criticized Democrats for refusing to fund the wall.

“He is asking for such a small amount,” Musel said of the president.

Lemuel and Shelby Ricks grow cotton, soybeans, wheat and peanuts on their farm in Conway, North Carolina. They said they have been hurt by low commodity prices and the shutdown. They cannot apply for financial aid that the federal government is giving to farmers hurt by Trump’s trade policies because of the shutdown.

The Rickses said they voted for Trump and will do so again in 2020, maintaining that his policies will benefit the country in the long run.

“We’re not going to give up on him now,” Shelby Ricks said.

Despite Trump’s lofty promises, there is great concern in the farming community over the ongoing trade dispute with China.

Beijing’s retaliatory tariffs have hurt American farmers, many of whom supported Trump, and a federal government bailout of the industry has had limited impact. What’s more, despite his promise to put “farmers first,” his new trade deal with Canada and Mexico, which would replace the North American Free Trade Agreement, has yet to be approved by Congress and now faces less chance of passing the House of Representatives.

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Associated Press journalists Rebecca Santana and Stacey Plaisance in New Orleans and Juliet Linderman and Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report.