According to a new report from Heartland Signal, in early 2023, Donald Trump warned about foreign nationals “buying up our farmland” and called to stop Chinese purchases of U.S. farmland.
Trump went on to call for forcing Chinese entities to sell off currently held U.S. assets with national security implications. But in typical Trump fashion, his hypocrisy was on full display. During Trump’s administration, China-owned or China-backed companies steadily increased their ownership of U.S. land and U.S. farmland.
2024 GOP hopefuls like Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Kristi Noem, Mike Pence, and Asa Hutchinson have each come out against this, and it will likely be a liability for Trump in the GOP primary.
Heartland Signal: Trump calls for the end of China buying U.S. farmland despite increases under his presidency
By Richard Eberwein – 5/24/23
Key quotes:
- “Chinese purchasing of U.S. farmland increased significantly while Trump was president. According to a report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, China had ownership takes in 352,140 acres of U.S. farmland by the end of Trump’s presidency in 2020. In 2017, the number of acres was 246,966.
- “Despite these figures showing his hypocrisy, and his failure to lay out a tangible strategy, Trump seems adamant that another term under his leadership will decrease the amount of Chinese investments in U.S. farmland.”
- “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who announced his candidacy for president on Wednesday, signed a bill earlier this month cracking down on foreign land investments in his state.”
- “This issue will likely be a topic of debate during the primaries, with Trump’s opponents eager to get a leg up on the former president.”
Published: May 26, 2023 | Last Modified: Jun 7, 2023