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Noem: Trump Tariffs Devastating South Dakota Farms

Enjoying some time away from Pierre back in Washington, D.C., Governor Kristi Noem told Politico yesterday that the Trump tariffs have “devastated” South Dakota agriculture:

“South Dakota has been devastated by the trade wars that are going on,” Noem said at POLITICO’s State Solutions Conference, noting that agriculture is “by far” the largest industry in the state. The Republican governor warned that the trade woes of farmers can trickle down to the rest of the state, impacting “every main street business, everybody that has another entity out there that relies on a successful ag industry” [Caitlyn Oprysko, “South Dakota Governor Says Trump Trade Wars Have ‘Devastated’ the State,” Politico, 2019.02.22].

Noem keeps tangling herself up in language defending the impulsive and unproductive idiot in the White House, but her bottom line is that Trump has done real damage to South Dakota’s economy:

“The problem is that this has gone on now for a long period of time,” she said. “And farmers are used to risk, they’re used to prices going up and down and having that, but this sustained low commodity prices, frankly, is driving a lot of family businesses out of business. That is why we need to have some serious consideration for wrapping this up quickly” [Oprysko, 2019.02.22].

Hear Noem’s words in this video from Politico:

12 Comments

  1. RICHARD SCHRIEVER

    She continues to misstate the relative size of agriculture in SD’s economy. Maybe at her house, or in Hayti it’s the largest segment – but not in the state. But then myopic self-interest is only par for the course for the “conservatives” in the state.

  2. mike from iowa

    The Republican governor warned that the trade woes of farmers can trickle down to the rest of the state, impacting “every main street business, everybody that has another entity out there that relies on a successful ag industry”

    Absofreakinglutely brilliant. Stating the obvious without actually saying anything at all.

    Not a word of sympathy for rural bankruptcies or suicides thanks to her party’s politics and her votes?

  3. She helps create, she then complains.

  4. jerry

    Indeed Buckobear, she will not allow hemp or renewable energy into the state, then drifts off like trump into word salad.

  5. Ag wold be a bigger sector of our economy if Noem would let farmers plant industrial hemp.

  6. leslie

    Our governor is in bed with a greasy sleazy con man president who was put there by bannon, billionaire Mercer’s Cambridge Analytica ( which expertise in swinging elections with false data in Nigeria’s recent election where a billionaire hired CA to keep the democratic candidate from winning in the last twro months) in a familiar sounding weaponization of data in politics.
    GUARDIAN, C. Cadwalldr 3.21.18

    Socializing farmer losses with bailout cash after catastrophic tariff wars is last minute rescue of failing policies of the trump troop.

  7. Roger Cornelius

    Something doesn’t smell right, yesterday the White House announced that the Trump promised welfare for farmers reached $7.7 Billion. If you recall, the ag sector immediately complained that the tariffs and trade war with China would hurt farmers and Trump jumped in with his bribe.
    Why are South Dakota farmers having financial problems with this kind of government support available to them?

  8. Debbo

    As long as Noem’s hero, Mangled Mango Maniac’s approval in SD remains at 61%, she will never criticize him. SD farmer’s welfare and even lives are not relevant to Noem and the SDGOP.

    Stats from Axios, no pay wall.
    https://goo.gl/4qWkKV

  9. Debbo

    There are several different comment sections on DFP that would be appropriate for this link. It’s about the growing epidemic of GOP state legislatures ignoring or overturning the will of their citizens. No paywall, Sheila Kennedy’s blog. https://goo.gl/qAW4Ca

  10. Debbo

    Excellent John. 👍👍👍

  11. John

    Watch the movie, Brexit on HBO. Then you’ll begin understanding the new politics. (It should have an Oscar nomination but it’s release was off-cycle.) The similar new game that ran the Brexit election strategy ran the trump election strategy. It could happen again if the progressives have a flat learning curve and / or stick to the passe campaign strategies.

    You STEM & debate & rhetoric types will love it – as in love-hate.
    Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5S1EMmCWAE

Comments are closed.