Another voter group is abandoning President Donald Trump and his party ahead of the midterms.
Even one of the Republicans’ most loyal voting blocs—farmers—is now turning away, according to The Washington Post.
“I’m pretty disenfranchised as a voter right now, and I think I’m not the only one,” Scott Thomsen, a Nebraska farmer and three-time Trump voter, told the newspaper, adding that he may consider sitting out the upcoming November midterm elections.
According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, more than 300 farms filed for bankruptcy last year, and the situation has reportedly worsened this year.
Rising fuel and fertilizer costs tied to the war in Iran, unstable markets rocked by the president’s trade war, and the spread of a newly detected flesh-eating parasite affecting warm-blooded animals in the U.S. have all intensified pressure on the sector.
“A lot of farmers today have lost and are losing faith and are feeling betrayed,” Joe Maxwell, president of Farm Action Fund, told the Washington Post. “They’re not seeing an ‘America First’ agenda,” he added.
Still, despite falling support among farmers and the president’s approval rating hitting new lows among rural voters, Trump has not appeared to take the situation seriously.
In early June, Trump traveled to Wisconsin to reassure struggling farmers, but instead told them: “I don’t need this. I got elected. I don’t know, what the hell do I have to be here for?”
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has also appeared to downplay farmers’ concerns and was criticized for claiming the Trump administration has made “great achievements” in her department that will usher in a “golden age” of farming.
“70% of American farmers can’t afford fertilizer. Expensive fertilizer means less food for a higher price. Nothing about that sounds ‘golden’ to me,” Democrat Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii wrote on X in response to Rollins.
Trump’s party needs as much support as possible from its most loyal voters, with polls showing Republicans trailing Democrats ahead of the midterms amid Trump’s record-low approval ratings, concerns about the economy, and the war in Iran.
On Wednesday, Trump signed a memorandum of understanding to end the war. An estimate from Moody’s Analytics said the conflict has already cost U.S. consumers and taxpayers around $132 billion.
The president has also experienced a notable shift in voter sentiment among blue-collar white voters—once among his most steadfast supporters—with some now expressing regret over their vote, particularly over economic concerns.
“There’s clearly an opportunity for Democrats,” Maxwell told The Washington Post, adding, “The question is, will the Democrats seize that opportunity to make a difference at the ballot box?”
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
