President Trump traveled to Wisconsin on Friday to reassure a key voting bloc — farmers — that the economic pain from skyrocketing fertilizer and energy prices, fueled by the ongoing U.S. military conflict in Iran, would soon ease. Speaking at a roundtable in Chippewa Falls, Trump told attendees, “We’re going to come out, and your fertilizer prices are going to go way down, just like they were four months ago.”
“Your fertilizer is down, your energy is down, your oil, your gas, is all coming way down, and frankly I thought it would go much higher than it did,” Trump added, attempting to project confidence despite data showing a sharp upward trend.
The economic toll on the agricultural sector is stark. According to the Associated Press, fertilizer prices have surged 40 percent since the start of the Iran war. Meanwhile, the national average gasoline price hit $4.22 per gallon on Friday, according to AAA. These rising costs have put Republicans on the defensive with voters ahead of the midterm elections, as farmers — a traditionally reliable GOP constituency — feel the pinch.
Trump was joined at the event by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), and Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.), whose district hosted the roundtable. Van Orden represents Wisconsin’s 3rd congressional district, a highly competitive seat rated as a toss-up by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.), who is running for governor, also addressed the crowd. The governor’s race is similarly rated as a toss-up, underscoring the stakes for the GOP in November.
While the president focused on farm economics, he also took time to highlight his administration’s Washington, D.C., beautification projects. He displayed before-and-after images of the Columbus Circle Fountains near Union Station and compared the Reflecting Pool to skyscrapers for scale. “We’re very proud of Washington. We had 22 fountains that didn’t work,” he said, drawing applause from the receptive audience.
Trump also pointed to his deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping for billions of dollars in soybean purchases, which he said was “starting to kick in.” He added that he is working with Congress to pass a major farm bill, which has cleared the House but awaits action in the Senate, where lawmakers are expected to craft their own version.
On Thursday, Trump announced he would direct hundreds of millions of dollars from the Defense Production Act toward coal plants. The funding will support upgrades and extensions at facilities in Wisconsin, West Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Indiana, Tennessee, Arkansas, Arizona, Oklahoma, and North Dakota.
The visit comes as Trump defends his Reflecting Pool renovation against criticism, and as bipartisan backlash stalls parts of his agenda. For now, the president is betting that promises of lower input costs and federal investments will keep farmers in the GOP column.
