I noticed this little gem in an FT newsletter this morning:
Farmers in America's Corn Belt say they are facing their worst crisis in 40 years, as an explosion in diesel and fertiliser costs triggered by Donald Trump's Iran war pushes grain producers to the brink.
The growing strains are the latest sign of how the conflict in the Middle East is reverberating through the US heartland ahead of crucial midterm elections in November that will determine control of Congress.
At the same time as Trump is, in effect, declaring war on Canada because he thinks he'll get an easy win that will help him secure the midterm elections, he is alienating his core base amongst the Midwest farmers who have always, traditionally, been Republican.
So, who knows what might happen? The likelihood that he might achieve this improbable outcome of turning the Corn Belt against him as a result of his wars against Iran and now Canada looks to be very real.
Those wars do not amuse me. This prospect does.
Thanks for reading this post.
You can share this post on social media of your choice by clicking these icons:
There are links to this blog's glossary in the above post that explain technical terms used in it. Follow them for more explanations.
You can subscribe to this blog's daily email here.
And if you would like to support this blog you can, here:
Buy me a coffee!
I was at a social event last wekeend where there were also come Canadians. Naturally there was some “political” conversation and someone suggested that Canada’s grand slam move in this trade war would be to restrict fertiliser sales. They’re the world’s number one supplier of potash. If the corn belt are upset about fertiliser costs already…
Agreed
With luck not just the corn belt. David Frum writing in the Atlantic this week makes this point:
” More than 30 percent of Ohio’s exports go to Canada, and almost 40 percent of Michigan’s. Both states will this year elect a U.S. senator and fill open governor’s seats. Not only is Trump putting at risk his party’s position in purple Michigan, but suddenly the races in beet-red Ohio look in jeopardy too. These states may turn control of the Senate—and Trump’s chances of facing meaningful accountability next year for his law-breaking and corruption.”
One can but hope, but you have to sympathise with the people, both Canadian and in the US who will suffer unnecessarily because of the Orange Monster?
Thank you
I’d expect the usual pleonexic insouciance from Trump on this myself – he’d just expect all the farmers to be bought out anyway and sold to U.S. agri-businesses as they go out of business and call that progress.
Trump thinks that most of the people who vote for him are stupid anyway. All he wants them to do is react without thinking of the consequences. The ability of Trump’s team to dream up ‘alternative facts’ is unfathomable, his pockets deep enough to spend loads of money on delivering this misinformation to his Pavlov dog style supporters.
Epiphanies concerning Trump? I don’t see any yet, to be honest but I’ll keep my fingers crossed.
So for once Trump is correct. With the exception of the utterly cynical rich who want tax cuts and the ‘Christians’ who support him because he is anti women’s rights, his supporters are utter idiots. Same as Reform voters here. A small percentage are self centred rich spivs who hate paying tax, the rest are fools who think immigration is the source of their problems.