When a photograph of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s cellphone landed on-line just lately, he was roundly mocked for his horrible operational safety. However buried in his textual content messages was one thing much more revealing than simply amateur-hour incompetence.
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This picture reveals the Treasury Secretary studying a textual content from the Agriculture Secretary.
She’s nervous China has outmaneuvered the US by shopping for up Argentine soybeans on the expense of our farmers, even because the Administration plans to bail out Argentina with billions of {dollars}. pic.twitter.com/yTAVU8hgFE
— Rohit Chopra (@ChopraUSA) September 29, 2025
“Just a heads up. I am getting more intel, but this is highly unfortunate,” the contact “BR”—assumed to be Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins—texted Bessent. “We bailed out Argentina yesterday … and in return, the Argentine’s [sic] removed their export tariffs on grains, reducing their price, and sold a bunch of soybeans to China, at a time when we would normally be selling to China. Soy prices [are] dropping further because of it. This gives China more leverage on us.”
Bessent had gone public the week prior, posting on X about Treasury Division’s plan to bail out Argentina: “The Treasury is currently in negotiations with Argentine officials for a $20 billion swap line with the Central Bank. We are working in close coordination with the Argentine government to prevent excessive volatility.”
Elon Musk holds up a chainsaw he acquired from Argentina’s President Javier Milei, proper, as they arrive to talk on the Conservative Political Motion Convention in February.
And who’s Trump propping up with U.S. taxpayer cash? Proper-wing populist Javier Milei, the libertarian “chainsaw” president of Argentina, who got here into workplace in late 2023 and instantly gutted the state—slashing ministries, axing subsidies, nixing will increase to pensions and incapacity advantages, and issuing a sweeping “mega decree” to dismantle a whole bunch of laws.
Far-right billionaire Elon Musk even celebrated him on the Conservative Political Motion Convention earlier this 12 months, wielding a chainsaw Milei had given him.
However these insurance policies helped tank Argentina’s economic system and Milei’s recognition. With the nation’s vital legislative elections looming on Oct. 26, Trump is now sending Milei $20 billion in hopes of giving him respiration room to outlive politically. To place that in perspective, the complete 2024 finances of the U.S. Company for Worldwide Improvement—which Trump and Musk basically killed—was $21.7 billion.
Now right here’s the kicker: Argentina is now promoting large shipments of soybeans to China, which takes in 60% of the world’s soybean imports. Earlier than Trump’s commerce battle in his first time period, the U.S. had a large slice of that market, however China has largely shifted to Brazil—and now, timed intently with the announcement of Trump’s Argentina bailout, Argentina is cashing in, too.
American soybean farmers—who’re struggling to promote their harvests—are actually seeing soybean futures sink even decrease. China has booked 12 million tonnes of soybeans from Argentina and Brazil this fall.
Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, left, confers with one other senator on the Capitol in April.
“Those early purchases represented about half of China’s demand for the period, effectively shutting U.S. exporters out of their most lucrative selling window,” the South China Morning Submit reported. “With the American harvest advancing, bins are filling while ships to Asia remain scarce.”
Even Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa needed to ask on X, “Why would USA help bail out Argentina while they take American soybean producers’ biggest market??? We shld use leverage at every turn to help hurting farm economy Family farmers shld be top of mind in negotiations by representatives of USA.”
However Trump doesn’t care about Iowa soybean farmers. And people farmers could not care about themselves, both. Many have sacrificed their livelihoods on the MAGA altar, voting repeatedly for the person who destroyed their greatest market.
Trump promised a commerce battle. He delivered. And now he’s planning to ship $20 billion to Argentina to assist his pal Milei, all whereas American farmers get hammered once more. And you understand what’s wild? Whilst Trump sells them out to China—once more—they’ll nonetheless vote Republican in future elections.
GOP-backing soybean farmers deserve every little thing they get.
And Trump? Because the textual content to Bessent mentioned, “This gives China more leverage on us.” That’s Trump incompetence in motion.
