Trump’s Agriculture Secretary Tells Fox That if Kamala Harris Had Won the 2024 Election, She Would Have ‘Imprisoned’ Ranchers

 

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins made the bizarre claim Thursday that had Kamala Harris become president, she would have imprisoned America’s ranchers.

Rollins made the comment on Fox Business’s Mornings With Maria, while touting President Donald Trump as a friend to farmers and ranchers.

“No one has fought harder for these ranchers than has President Trump,” Rollins said. “I want to talk just for a second about, what a president Kamala Harris would have looked like for farmers and ranchers. Ranchers would have been imprisoned, just ask Heather and Charles Maude of South Dakota, over things like fence line and pivots.”

The Biden administration charged the Maudes with “theft of federal property” after claiming the family’s ranching operation blocked access to the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands in South Dakota. They faced up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, until the Trump administration dropped the criminal charges in 2025.

Rollins continued:

There was a massive push under last administration to eat less meat. Could you imagine? Don’t stop eating meat! There was a massive push under Democrats to eat fake meat and lab grown meat. They were working to regulate under Waters USA, every pothole, every ditch on every American farm and ranch in America. You contrast that to President Trump and this administration, opening up five million grazing lands, opening up the markets around the world: Japan, UK, Australia. Amazing new trade opportunities, not just for ranchers, but for all Americans.

Last month, Trump came under intense scrutiny from both sides of the aisle, for temporarily lifting certain tariffs on ground beef imports in a bid to lower prices.

Trump posted to Truth Social on Aug. 21, “As everyone knows, under President [Joe] Biden, beef prices soared at their fastest rate and the American beef herd fell to its smallest size in modern history. As we work to rebuild this herd and help our ranchers, for the next 90 days, the United States will allow up to 300,000 metric tons of product for ground beef to be imported with no out of quota tariff. We have a commitment that this beef will be sold at 25 percent below current market prices.”

“This deal will reduce prices for Americans while giving space for our Great American Beef Herd to grow again,” he added.

Republicans like Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) wrote, “I’m extremely disappointed by this decision from the White House. We all want lower grocery prices, but as I’ve said for months, we cannot do it at the expense of American producers.”

Watch the clip above via Fox News.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!

Tags: