'Tariffs to help farmers': Trump pledges support for US soybean growers ahead of Xi meeting

Trump announces meet with China's Xi; US soybeans in focus

US President Donald Trump announced plans to allocate a portion of tariff revenue to support American soybean farmers, citing challenges caused by China’s reduced purchases “for ‘negotiating’ reasons only.”

Talking to X, Trump said, “The Soybean Farmers of our Country are being hurt because China is, for ‘negotiating’ reasons only, not buying. We’ve made so much money on Tariffs, that we are going to take a small portion of that money, and help our Farmers."

Trump criticized former President Joe Biden for failing to enforce a trade agreement that had promised China would buy billions of dollars’ worth of US farm products, especially soybeans.

“I WILL NEVER LET OUR FARMERS DOWN! Sleepy Joe Biden didn’t enforce our Agreement with China, where they were going to purchase Billions of Dollars of our Farm Product, but Soybeans, in particular. It’s all going to work out very well. I LOVE OUR PATRIOTS, AND EVERY FARMER IS EXACTLY THAT!"

He added that he plans to discuss the issue of soybean trade during an upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. “I’ll be meeting with President Xi, of China, in four weeks, and Soybeans will be a major topic of discussion. MAKE SOYBEANS, AND OTHER ROW CROPS, GREAT AGAIN!"

According to the American Soybean Association, China has not bought any US soybeans since May, instead sourcing large shipments from Brazil and Argentina, leaving US farmers worried about lost markets and falling revenues. In August, Trump urged China to resume purchases, saying on social media, "I hope China will quickly quadruple its soybean orders."

During his first administration, Trump disbursed tens of billions in aid to help farmers cope with similar trade disruptions caused by China’s reduced soybean purchases. Last week, he reaffirmed his plan to direct some tariff revenue to farmers, although the Department of Agriculture has not yet released formal details.

US-China relations remain tense amid trade disputes, technological competition, and differences over global conflicts. Trump recently confirmed a meeting with Xi at the APEC summit in South Korea scheduled for October 31–November 1, with plans for a visit to China early next year.