In a speech to what he called “the single largest gathering of American farmers that the White House has … ever had,” President Donald Trump distorted the facts on the estate tax, soybean exports, and more.
- Trump falsely claimed that “we saved 2 million American farms from extinction by virtually ending the unfair estate tax.” That’s roughly the total number of farms in the country. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said only about 1% of farms would have paid any estate tax even if Congress had not permanently extended provisions that were set to expire. Experts say few, if any, farms were saved from extinction.
- He wrongly claimed that “American soybeans are now being shipped to China in record amounts.” U.S. exports aren’t on track for a record this year, and a trade deal the administration announced last year doesn’t show record amounts, either.
- The president said that beef prices were “starting to come down,” but price data show little to no indication of that.
- He said “the number of cattle was way down” due to an environmental restriction that he “got rid of.” But the White House pointed to the Green New Deal, a nonbinding resolution that never passed.
- Trump said that $12 billion in aid provided to farmers was paid from increased tariff revenue, but the money came from the Commodity Credit Corporation, which gets regular appropriations from Congress.
The president spoke to farmers gathered on the South Lawn of the White House on March 27.
