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As millions of Americans suffer from the effects of his destructive tariff war, and as others suffer from furloughs amid the ongoing government shutdown, the president of the United States on Sunday issued a passionate defense of the people.
The people of Argentina, that is.
The president gave a snappy response to a reporter when he was asked how he justifies showering aid on the South American nation as American farmers suffer the consequences of his tariff war.
The Trump administration recently announced $40 billion in aid to Argentina that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said is intended to prop up the faltering economy of Argentina’s Trump-aligned President Javier Milei, who has relied on some of the same principles that Republicans have implemented stateside. Trump’s irked response came after he floated the possibility of purchasing beef from Argentina, framing it as a plan to help American consumers dealing with higher grocery prices.
A reporter asked the president about American farmers who have been outraged that his bailouts in Argentina could undercut them. “What do you have to say to U.S. farmers who feel that the deal is benefiting Argentina more than it is them...” the reporter started to ask before Trump interrupted. The president — whose administration has appeared to leap at the opportunity to cut programs Americans depend on during a shutdown predicated on his party’s refusal to negotiate on health insurance subsidies — responded with some thinly veiled sexism and a claim that his plan is about improving the lives of poor and downtrodden Argentines:
‘Look, look, Argentina is fighting for its life, young lady. You don’t know anything about it. You know what that means? They’re fighting for their life. Nothing’s benefiting Argentina. They’re fighting for their life. You understand what that means? They have no money, they have no anything, they’re fighting so hard to survive. If I can help them survive in a free world — I happen to like the president of Argentina, I think he’s trying to do the best he can. But don’t make it sound like they’re doing great. They are dying.’
Let’s also note that Trump and the Republican Party slashed billions of dollars in foreign aid to countries around the world this year, an act that human rights experts said could result in millions of deaths. So it’s fair to question whether Trump’s concern for the health and well-being of people abroad, or just his alliance with Milei, is his priority. Not to mention that numerous hedge fund executives and associates of Bessent — who has been overseeing the aid to Argentina — stand to benefit greatly from Trump’s taxpayer-funded generosity.
Indeed, there seem to be a bunch of less-than-charitable reasons that Trump and his team want to shovel billions of Americans’ tax dollars to his right-wing cronies. And none of them square with the president’s promise to put “America First.”