Hoping to shore up support, Trump directs more money to farmers

It’s been nearly three years since Donald Trump spoke at the American Farm Bureau’s annual convention, where the Republican strutted like a man who assumed he was among adoring fans. “Oh, are you happy you voted for me,” the president said, straying from the prepared text. “You are so lucky that I gave you that privilege.”
It wasn’t long, however, before Trump launched a misguided trade war, which had the predictable effect of hurting much of the domestic agricultural industry. It wasn’t long before we started seeing reports on “farm-state fury” over the White House’s agenda.
The president’s solution has been straightforward: he’s repeatedly directed billions of dollars to farmers, and as the New York Times reports today, “government money is flowing faster than ever” now that Trump needs farmers’ electoral support.
Federal payments to farmers are projected to hit a record $46 billion this year as the White House