President Donald Trump snapped at a female reporter aboard Air Force One when pressed about a multibillion-dollar rescue package for Argentina, brushing off concerns from his own base that the bailout could hurt American farmers. “Look, Argentina is fighting for its life, young lady,” Trump said. “You don’t know anything about it. They’re fighting for their life. Nothing’s benefiting Argentina. They’re fighting for their life. Do you understand what that means? They have no money. They have no anything. They’re fighting so hard to survive.”
The package for Buenos Aires is sizable, framed by the White House as a lifeline for President Javier Milei, a Trump-aligned leader pushing aggressive government spending cuts. Reports describe a financial backstop that includes credit facilities and a currency support effort, figures that allies have rounded up to as high as $40 billion. That eye-popping number is fueling anger in farm states where producers are already taking a hit from Trump’s tariff battles.
Trump insisted the move is about stability, not favoritism. “I happen to like the president of Argentina. I think he’s trying to do the best he can,” he said, before stressing the severity of the crisis. “But don’t make it sound like they’re doing great. They are dying. All right? They’re dying.”
Q: What do you have to say to farmers who feel that the deal is benefitting Argentina more than it is them?
TRUMP: Look, Argentina is fighting for its life, young lady. You don’t know anything about it. You understand what that means? They are dying pic.twitter.com/1DMyaHtcTR
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 20, 2025
At the same time, Trump floated a plan to bring in Argentine beef to tamp down grocery prices. “We would buy some beef from Argentina,” he told reporters, tying the idea to his broader inflation fight and to ongoing supply issues at home.
China, which once soaked up a massive share of U.S. soybeans, imported no American soybeans in September, the first such shutout in seven years. Brazil supplied the bulk of Chinese demand, and Argentina, buoyed by policy shifts and a rush to export, sharply increased shipments. That shift cuts directly into U.S. farm income and weakens Washington’s leverage as tariff brinkmanship with Beijing escalates.
Republicans who usually cheer Trump’s hard line on trade are publicly bristling. “Why would the USA help bail out Argentina while they take American soybean producers’ biggest market???” Senator Chuck Grassley asked, urging negotiators to “use leverage at every turn to help the hurting farm economy.”
Critics see a glaring contradiction. The self-described “America First” president is pouring energy into shoring up a foreign leader, even as farm country watches buyers migrate to South America. Agriculture groups warn that once Chinese importers switch to Brazilian and Argentine suppliers, those relationships can stick for years. The trade war of 2018 and 2019 offered a painful lesson, and producers fear history is repeating itself.
Trump’s advisers argue the Argentina bailout is strategic, saying a stabilized partner in the Southern Cone helps counter China’s influence and steady commodity flows. But that explanation is a tough sell to growers who feel whipsawed by tariffs, retaliatory bans, and now the prospect of Washington underwriting a competitor’s comeback. The White House has not detailed how the support package will be structured or how quickly any beef imports could ease prices for U.S. shoppers.
For now, the moment will be remembered for the snap. Billions in emergency financing, a volatile trade fight with China, and a farm economy on edge are converging on the president’s desk, and the margin for error is getting thinner by the day.
