Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Follow Us:
Top Stories

Trump's Policies: A Threat to Farmers and American Values

Opinion

Trump's Policies: A Threat to Farmers and American Values
green farm heavy equipment on green field
Photo by Jed Owen on Unsplash

In the column, "Is Donald Trump Right?", Fulcrum Executive Editor, Hugo Balta, wrote:

For millions of Americans, President Trump’s second term isn’t a threat to democracy—it’s the fulfillment of a promise they believe was long overdue.


Is Donald Trump right?

Should the presidency serve as a force for disruption or a safeguard of preservation?

Balta invited readers to share their thoughts at newsroom@fulcrum.us.

Joe Kaul from Colorado shared these thoughts...

My Father and his 5 brothers fought in World War II.

He came home with 4 brothers and one eye out of commission.

All you have to do to answer your question is to answer this question through the lens of the Greatest Generation.

Take one example: the disgusting attempted overthrow of our government on Jan 6, 2021. The men and women who defended our country and the world against fascism overseas would tell you in no uncertain terms that this was the most un-American thing ever done by a sitting President. Full Stop.

So my point here is that if you were not mortified by this group of thugs attacking our US Capitol, then I suppose you can tolerate just about anything that Trump does to "Get his way" with US policies.

Well, I got news for you: once you accept that type of treasonous behavior, you have just said to the Greatest Generation, "You and your sacrifices don't matter to me and my MAGA friends." Maybe in this twisted, self-serving light, Trump is right.

Trump's trade war with China is on the verge of costing American Farmers their livelihoods and seriously endangering our nation's food supply.

U.S. farmers produce 40% more AG products than we can consume in the US, so overseas markets are crucial.

Last year (2025), China bought $12 billion in soybeans alone from US farmers.

Since Trump decided to punch them in the nose, China has bought $0.00 of AG soybeans from US farmers.

This same scenario played out in the first Trump administration, so he had to give them a $10 billion aid package to bail them out.

While he may try this approach again, it is not even close to a long-term solution.

You see, there is something called "Trust" in a supply chain. When a large market like China loses trust in the US AG market, they have no choice but to turn to alternative markets like Brazil and Argentina for their Ag products. When trust erodes and new supply chains are formed with new partners, it takes years, if not decades, to rebuild those relationships.
By then, sadly, many of our US farmers —the backbone of rural America —will likely have no choice but to "sell the farm."

So maybe we should start asking US Farmers if Trump is right, since he has screwed up these important supply chains both times in office.

We invite you to read "Is Donald Trump Right?" and accept Hugo's invitation to share your thoughts at newsroom@fulcrum.us.

The Fulcrum will select a range of submissions to share with readers as part of our ongoing civic dialogue.

We offer this platform for discussion and debate.


Read More

Welcome to Trump’s lame duck presidency

President Donald Trump speaks to the press in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on June 3, 2026.

(Mandel NGAN/AFP via Getty Images/TCA)

Welcome to Trump’s lame duck presidency

It's been a while since we saw a lame duck presidency — long enough in politics to maybe forget what one looks like.

In October 2014, President Barack Obama hit his lowest approval rating yet at 40%. The midterm elections were an absolute bloodbath for Democrats — Republicans expanded their majority in the House by 13 seats and took control of the Senate with a gain of nine seats.

Keep ReadingShow less
Audience members listen as U.S. President Donald Trump.

Audience members listen as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the Coosa Steel Corporation on February 19, 2026 in Rome, Georgia.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Heil Trump!

Stop. I am not implying that Trump is the equivalent of Hitler. As I have said in two previous posts suggesting an analogy between Hitler and Trump, while Trump has an evil streak, he is not even close to being as evil as Hitler (see "The Hitler-Trump Analogy" and "Another Hitler-Trump Analogy"). However, Trump has characteristics, and his supporters have characteristics, in common with Hitler and his followers.

Trump is a megalomaniac; his self-aggrandizement knows no bounds. See my article, "Trump - Poster Child of a Megalomaniac." Trump clearly thinks of himself as a man who can do no wrong, the brightest person in the world, a king, a master of the universe. There are no rules that apply to him. As he said in a New York Times interview, "My own morality, my own mind. It's the only thing that can stop me."

Keep ReadingShow less
​Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche.

Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche testifies during a Senate Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on May 19, 2026 in Washington, D.C. The hearing was held to examine the Department of Justice's proposed FY2027 budget estimate.

Getty Images

GOP Waves White Flag in Contest of Ideas

There was a time the Republican Party believed in policies and principles. Conservatives genuinely believed in democracy and America, and not the cynical new version that requires its citizens to hate each other. And they believed in a contest of ideas.

The concept of competing for the soul of the nation with intellectually rigorous ideas and admittedly populist rhetoric became foundational to American politics and in particular movement conservatism later on in that century.

Keep ReadingShow less
U.S. President Donald Trump (L) speaks to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wile.

U.S. President Donald Trump (L) speaks to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles as he oversees "Operation Epic Fury" at Mar-a-Lago on February 28, 2026, in Palm Beach, Florida.

Handout, Getty Images

Why Trump Has Gone Global

Why has Donald Trump transformed his foreign policy from isolationist to interventionist?

He doesn’t have some newfound curiosity in foreign affairs. Nor does he now deeply care about the global order. He’s shifted his focus for a different reason entirely: because his domestic agenda keeps getting stymied by checks and balances.

Keep ReadingShow less