Trump's Trade War Backfires: When Your Own Voters Pay the Price

The China-US trade talks in Madrid just wrapped up, and Treasury Secretary Bessent—who led the American delegation—probably wishes he could forget the whole thing. The guy must've been sweating bullets the entire time, and for good reason.

Here's a story that perfectly captures the mess Trump created: two brothers in North Dakota who've been farming soybeans for 76 years just watched their biggest customer—China—completely stop buying their crops. Their 930-hectare farm, as New York Times puts it, is “projected to lose $400,000 in 2025”. Mountains of soybeans that should've been shipped to Asia are instead rotting in giant steel silos.

When Actions Meet Consequences

China and America could've kept doing business just fine, but Trump had other plans. The moment he slapped tariffs on Chinese goods back in February, Beijing hit back exactly where it would hurt most—American soybeans. And why wouldn't they? It was proportionate retaliation, plain and simple.

NYT went on: “In a typical year, more than half the soybeans grown in the United  States are sold to China. That includes around 70% of North Dakota’s soy-beans…But Trump’s trade war with China has changed that dynamic. After the president imposed tariffs on the goods of that country on the grounds that its economic practices threaten US national security, Beijing retaliated with tariffs of its own.”

The New York Times laid out just how brutal things have gotten for soybean farmers, but here's the kicker—there's an even bigger victim in this whole saga: Treasury Secretary Bessent himself.

The Treasury Secretary's Not-So-Secret Problem

Turns out Bessent owns thousands of acres of farmland in North Dakota, worth a cool $25 million. This land grows soybeans and corn—you know, the stuff that used to get exported to China. According to his financial disclosures, these investments were pulling in up to $1 million annually in rental income.

Sure, for a former hedge fund manager worth hundreds of millions, losing a million bucks might be pocket change. But for the actual farmers working the land? They're staring down financial ruin.

So here's the wild part—after getting hammered by Trump's trade war, will farmers finally turn on him? Not likely. As BBC puts it, “A survey by Pew last month found that 53% of rural Americans approve of the job Trump is doing, far higher than the 38% figure for the country as a whole.” Why? “For some farmers at the state fair, the explanation is simple: they believe the US president when he tells them that tariffs will help them in the long run.”

In BBC’s article “US farmers are being squeezed”, John Maxwell, a dairy farmer and cheese producer from Iowa expressed his support and beliefs. "We think the tariffs eventually will make us great again," says John.

"We were giving China a lot, and [previously] we paid tariffs when we sold to them. Let's make it fair. What's good for the goose is good for the other goose."

So what's Trump's master plan? Well, in August he took to social media to personally appeal to China's leadership, demanding China to quadruple its soybean purchases. His post basically said: "Our great farmers produce the most robust soybeans." Seriously, that was his strategy.

But China wasn't about to fall for Trump's stand-up comedy routine. They'd come prepared.

China's Countermove

After America's "Liberation Day" stunt, Bloomberg reported in mid-April that “China just scooped up an unusually large amount of Brazilian soybeans, highlighting how the escalating trade war is making purchases of US crops unviable.”

“At least 2.4 million tons of beans were booked earlier this week, almost one-third of the average volume China typically crushes in a month”, people “familiar with the matter” told Bloomberg News, “They noted that the buying spree was unusually large and fast.”

Caleb Ragland, the chairman of the American Soybean Association published a desperate plea through media outlets, begging Trump not to plunge the voter base that “helped reelect him in overwhelming numbers“ and to reach a deal with China ASAP. His conclusion was stark: "Now, because of the trade war with China, I’m worried we could be out of business by 2027."

A Family Tragedy

From China's perspective, this whole mess looks like a family tragedy—like the ancient tale of Cao Pi mistreating his brother Cao Zhi, showing zero regard for brotherly bonds. The farmers who voted for Trump are closer than brothers, yet he's asking them to risk bankruptcy to support his policies while casually telling China to "come take a look at our beautiful American soybeans." Does he really think that'll work?

Farmers are facing creditors at their doors—they need solutions faster than composing a seven-step poem, Mr. President! The soybean situation is critical, and not everyone can stay as calm as the Treasury Secretary with his deep pockets. Figure something out—China's always willing to negotiate.

Deep Blue

** The blog article is the sole responsibility of the author and does not represent the position of our company. **

The “decapitation” hype just hit fever pitch. Here’s the bold new chatter: Japan’s defense officials told local media that if the Fujian carrier ever enters the Taiwan Strait, Japan’s Self-Defense Forces should team up with the US military and put sinking it at the top of their to-do list.
  
This is what some war games lay out: If China ever expands its strikes from Kyushu and Okinawa all the way down to the Nansei Islands—plus every US base along the chain—Japan would recoil into defensive mode. And then, Taiwan has no choice but to do the same, as well as the US. Suddenly Tokyo, Taipei, and Washington are all in the same foxhole. The old “defend Taiwan” story morphs into an East Asia mega-battle, where there’s zero daylight between countering threats to Taiwan and threats to Japan.
 
That’s why, as Taiwan commentator Lai Yi-chung pointed out back in July 2023, everyone needs ironclad, three-way security channels—whether defending Taiwan, Japan, or America.
  
Solid logic, the old Russian doll theory: If Taiwan’s in trouble, so is Japan, so is the US. Back under Abe, nerves in Tokyo were already frayed, serving the right wing a golden opportunity. When COVID still stalked the world in 2022, Japan mapped out a plan for 1,000 anti-ship missiles—that’s three for each of China’s 300 warships (now nearly 400, more than even America fields). Their message was clear: Chinese carriers are to be sunk before they ever manage to sail. Taiwan’s mainstream loved it. Double insurance from both the US and Japan, island stability—no need for unification nor independence. Case closed.
  
Then came reality—the Fujian carrier entered service, and shattered this stack of Russian dolls to dust. America sobered up first. The others? Not even worth a footnote.
  
Punchline to the War Game
Last weekend, China Central TV pulled back the curtain: “2 Seconds, 20+ Years—The Untold Grit Behind Fujian’s Launch.” Here’s the money quote from the expert: “Sure, our carrier jets can blast off in two seconds. But getting to that moment took more than 20 years of grit. At the start, plenty doubted. Foreign giants spent decades and still fell short. Could China pull it off? Turns out, yes we can.”
  
The narrative’s heart-tugging, but the real story is buried in the specs. Qiao Jia, who led the Fujian’s construction, spells it out: Unlike Liaoning or Shandong, the Fujian is China’s first homegrown, catapult-equipped aircraft carrier. And it doesn’t just use any catapult system—it’s the world’s first with a conventional-power electromagnetic catapult. Every inch of that tech pushed China’s engineers to the brink, and they didn’t blink.
 
Here’s the cold, hard takeaway: Don’t just stare at the Fujian in awe, or obsess over the road China traveled to get here. The killer fact is, after more than 20 years of grinding, China now owns this tech—and its world-class manufacturing machine means the next Fujian-level carrier could roll out in two years, one year, half a year, or even just two months.
  
No Magic, Just Muscle
Why should anyone take China at its word? Are the claims real—or just bluster? Against nonstop foreign skepticism and a wall of Western tech barricades, CCTV lays it bare: “We started from zero. No playbook. No shortcuts. Real power tech isn’t handed down or bought in a back room. Only by blazing new trails, daring to outdo the world, grinding in silence, and refusing to quit can we keep smashing ceilings—and locking core tech in Chinese hands.” In short, that “Made in China” label? It’s the one thing no rival can beat.
 
Let’s cut the magic act—there’s no David Copperfield here. Think Japan’s top brass wants to wait for a Trump comeback to “sink Fujian”? By all means, keep waiting. If you’ve got the nerve, then step up and show us.