Photo: Daniel Torok / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Donald Trump carried Wright County comfortably in all three of his presidential runs, and in 2024 he won Iowa by about 13 points, his best showing in the state.
His second term, which began in January 2025, has put farm country in an odd spot. Tariffs were a centerpiece of his economic plan, and China answered as it did in 2018 and 2019, by buying fewer American soybeans. Iowa is the second-largest soybean state, and the price hit lands on farms around Clarion.
In his first term, the administration sent farmers billions in Market Facilitation Program payments to cover trade losses. Farm groups have pushed for similar help again.
Trump’s support here has rarely depended on soybean prices. Voters in rural Iowa often say they back him on immigration, energy and a general sense that he is fighting for them. Whether that holds through a long trade fight is the question farm-state Republicans watch most closely.
Kim Sanders writes for Clarion News Online.