June 22, 2017
As President Trump made the trip to Iowa on Wednesday, he pledged his support for agriculture. He made the remarks during an event at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, where he toured agriculture technology innovations, which included a combine simulator.
The President was joined on stage by former governor Terry Branstad, who will soon be heading to Beijing, where he will be serving as the new U.S. Ambassador to China.
“For a farm kid from Iowa, my life’s ambition was to serve the people as governor. I never imagined in my wildest dreams that President Trump would ask me to represent all of the United States of America in China. I will do my very best,” stated Governor Branstad.
Trump praised Branstad’s legacy as the nation’s longest-serving governor. He also praised farmers, calling them the “backbone” of the nation, and saying they will always find support in his administration.
“American farmers and ranchers are the best, absolute best, at what they do, and they can compete anywhere if they are given a level playing field. They are not given that level playing field because of our terrible, terrible trade deals, and we’re going to start doing much better. You produce the product, but you have to work too hard and too long to make a living,” said President Trump.
U.S. Trade Representative, Robert Lighthizer, vowed to aggressively enforce existing trade rules while working to expand market access for U.S. businesses in a hearing on Wednesday. He also added the administration will release its priorities for NAFTA’s renegotiation on July 17, and official negotiations will begin a month later.