Trump undercuts American ranchers, scrambles to import Argentina beef 

For years, Donald Trump built his brand on an “America First” trade agenda: protecting U.S. workers, punishing foreign competitors, and pulling supply chains back home.  

That was the promise. But now, in a scramble to drive down grocery prices, his administration is turning to Argentina for beef — quadrupling imports to 80,000 metric tons. That’s not “America First.” That’s foreign beef before American ranchers.  

Trump has spent the last month railing about grocery prices and pledging relief at the checkout aisle, promising “a deal” to “bring the price down.” The short-term fix he’s landed on is foreign supply, even if it runs directly against the platform that got him elected. Ranchers, who benefited from high demand and elevated beef prices, are watching their own president undercut them to bail out another country’s economy.  

And the timing isn’t subtle. POLITICO reports the average price of ground beef is $6.32 a pound, up about 14 percent since Trump took office, and meat is still one of the biggest drivers of overall grocery inflation.   

The pressure is real, but the policy choice tells the story. When the campaign promise collides with the governing reality, Trump is choosing imports over the American producers he once championed.  

Even Republicans are saying the quiet part out loud. Deb Fischer, a Republican senator from Nebraska, said recently, “If the goal is addressing beef prices at the grocery store, this isn’t the way.”  

It’s not just sticker shock. It’s whiplash. Agriculture groups have backed Trump through tariffs, trade wars and retaliation from China because the message was always hold the line and America wins long-term. Now they’re watching the playbook flip overnight.  

The move also follows a cozy bilateral moment — Argentina’s President Javier Milei was recently dining at the White House with Trump, and next thing you know there’s a $20 billion bailout package that critics say is more about rescuing Argentina than defending U.S. producers. That’s where the hypocrisy hits hardest: lecturing China for undercutting American farmers, then turning around and giving Argentina a runway to do the same thing.  

Naturally, Ranchers feel blindsided. Even Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene had this to say: “I have no idea who is telling our great president, our America First president, that this is a good idea. It’s honestly a punch in the gut to all of our American cattle ranchers. They are furious, and rightfully so.” 

This isn’t a subtle policy shift. It’s a reversal. If “America First” now includes importing cheaper beef to pressure U.S. ranchers on price, the slogan loses meaning. And when the administration tries to spin it as consumer relief, it brushes past the fact that the American heartland is footing the bill twice: once at the farm gate and again at the grocery store.  

In the end, working families don’t feel trade theory, they feel totals on the receipts. And a policy built on contradiction won’t trickle down into affordability. It just puts the cost — and the confusion — back on the American aisle.  

Lindsey Granger is a NewsNation contributor and co-host of The Hill’s commentary show “Rising.” This column is an edited transcription of her on-air commentary.