The price of beef is getting to Trump (and everyone else). But ranchers are very upset by the move.
CPI Beef Prices, Ground Beef, Beef Steaks, Sirloin, Round
Beef Prices per Pound
Ground Beef: $6.89 up 78.04 percent vs pre-Covid
Beef Steaks All Types Average: $13.06 up 70.94 percent vs pre-Covid
Sirloin: $14.59 up 75.15 percent vs pre-Covid
Round: $10.04 up 64.86 percent vs pre-Covid
Trump Reduces Beef Tariffs
Today, I concluded a deal to substantially lower the price of ground beef for working American families. As everyone knows, under President Biden, beef prices soared at their fastest rate and the American beef herd fell to its smallest size in modern history. As we work to rebuild this herd and help our ranchers, for the next 90 days, the United States will allow up to 300,000 metric tons of product for ground beef to be imported with no out of quota tariff. We have a commitment that this beef will be sold at 25 percent below current market prices. This deal will reduce prices for Americans while giving space for our Great American Beef Herd to grow again. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP
Aug 21, 2026, 4:52 AM
Exactly how does selling beef at 25 percent below market prices give space for our “Great American Beef Herd to grow again” ?
National Farmers Union
DOGE in Play
A Master Class in Making Enemies
But Hey, What’s the Beef?
Silence Is Golden
Reporter: On the beef deal, which countries did you make the deal with?
Trump: I don’t want to say. But they are going to be sending in the highest quality beef. And it’s something that we need.
Beef Production by Volume 2023 Numbers
Rank | State | Approx. Beef Produced |
|---|---|---|
1 | Texas | 6.2 billion lbs |
2 | Nebraska | 5.6 billion lbs |
3 | Kansas | 4.7 billion lbs |
4 | California | 2.4 billion lbs |
5 | Oklahoma | ~2.0 billion lbs |
6 | Iowa | ~1.9 billion lbs |
7 | Colorado | ~1.7 billion lbs |
8 | South Dakota | ~1.6 billion lbs |
9 | Wisconsin | ~1.5 billion lbs |
10 | Missouri | ~1.3 billion lbs |
Trump Creates Beef with Ranchers
Please note Trump Creates Beef with Ranchers Over New Import Plan
President Donald Trump’s new plan to temporarily allow more tariff-free foreign beef into the U.S. in an effort to bring down prices has only ramped up tensions with domestic cattle ranchers, who warn the policy could hurt both U.S. producers and consumers.
The backlash comes as Republicans face mounting pressure over the cost of living ahead of November’s midterm elections. Trump has been hemorrhaging support among rural voters since the beginning of his second term, which isn’t a good trend for a demographic Republicans need in their corner come November.
On Friday, Trump posted to social media his intention of removing tariffs from up to 300,000 metric tons of imported lean beef trimmings for ground beef production. The president said he secured a commitment with foreign beef exporters “that this beef will be sold at 25 percent below current market prices.”
But ranchers and farm groups are pushing back against the announcement, arguing that coupled with the absence of mandatory country-of-origin labeling and safety screening for beef, it could make it harder for consumers to distinguish imported meat from domestically raised cattle — giving imported products a competitive advantage while also drawing in questions of quality.
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association CEO Colin Woodall said his group was “disappointed” by the announcement.
“While America’s cattle producers share the goal of keeping groceries affordable for consumers, flooding the market with government-subsidized, below-market beef is not the way to rebuild the American cattle herd,” he said. Woodall noted the announcement caused cattle market futures to fall on Friday morning and will harm the “prospect of herd expansion and sacrifices long-term stability for short term messaging.”
The NCBA has skewed heavily Republican over the years in its support for federal candidates, according to OpenSecrets.org. The group’s PAC and individual contributors have given at least 89 percent of their campaign contributions to the GOP in elections dating back to 2012, with 95 percent going to Republicans in the 2024 cycle.
Trump, on Friday afternoon, defended his decision, contending that beef ranchers had indicated to his administration that the U.S. needed “help” with its available ground beef levels.
“We want to get the beef prices down, so we’ll get them down a little bit, and that’s what people want. That’s what the voters want, and that’s what I want. The ranchers are great — they’re my people,” he told reporters at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington.
Asked which countries were part of the beef pact, Trump declined to specify.
“I don’t want to say which countries, but there are a few countries,” he said. “But they are going to be sending in the highest-quality beef, and it’s something that we need.”
Trump Before and After the Feud with Ranchers
Before: “We have a commitment that this beef will be sold at 25 percent below current market prices.“
After: “We want to get the beef prices down, so we’ll get them down a little bit.”
Trump has a remarkable propensity to upset everyone but hard core MAGA.
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