With the Iowa caucus slowly drawing nearer, 2024 hopeful Donald J. Trump made the case that he was “the most pro-farmer president that you’ve ever had” at a rally in Council Bluffs, a town across the Missouri River from Nebraska.
To support his case, Mr. Trump ran through a long list of actions he’d taken as commander-in-chief, including repealing former President Barack Obama’s expansive Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule.
“It was a truly outrageous federal power grab,” he told an enthusiastic audience.
President Joe Biden has made WOTUS more expansive again, vetoing a joint resolution of disapproval of his new WOTUS rule from both chambers of Congress earlier this session.
Mr. Trump cited various other policies from his presidency to justify his claim of being a uniquely pro-farm executive, including his repeal of numerous United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations and his administration’s United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade agreement.
He characterized the latter deal as a “gigantic victory for the American farmer,” noting that American eggs, dairy products, and poultry were allowed into Canada due to USMCA.
“I used to come here, in Nebraska and other places, and they’d say, ‘Oh, it’s so bad what Canada does to us.’ Canada sounds so lovely, but they really ripped off our farmers and really ripped off our country,” Mr. Trump said.
He also referenced his $28 billion payout to farmers, which was carried out amid a U.S.-China trade war in which American agriculture was suffering. Mr. Trump suggested that the money his administration delivered would make it almost impossible for him to lose Iowa.
“I actually wanted to sign those checks, but people said it wouldn’t be appropriate,” the former president mused, drawing laughter.
Mr. Trump also referenced his moves on ethanol, a fuel produced using corn and other crops.
Notably, much of Iowa’s corn now goes to ethanol production.
“Historically a larger share of Iowa’s corn has been used for ethanol relative to the U.S. In recent years 50-70 [percent] of Iowa corn production is used to make ethanol, and 35-40 [percent] of U.S. corn is used for ethanol,” a 2023 article from the Iowa Farm Bureau states.
“I like to say very strongly and proudly that I fought for Iowa ethanol like no president in history,” Mr. Trump said to applause.
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