Trump talks to area farmers in campaign stop near Smithton

The former president vowed to stop China from purchasing any more U.S. farmland.

By STACY WOLFORD
swolford@yourmvi.com

Surrounded by cornfields and the rolling hills of southwestern Pennsylvania, former President Donald Trump sat in a barn flanked by John Deere tractors and listened intently as area farmers shared their stories of hardship as they struggle to maintain their way of life.

Local farmers pose questions to former President Donald Trump at Monday’s event. Jenn Codeluppi / Mon Valley Independent

In the first of two planned campaign appearances in Westmoreland County on Monday, Trump appeared for the private event at the Smith family farm in Smithton/South Huntingdon Township.

He addressed the Protecting America Initiative, a conservative anti- China group led by Rick Grenell, who served as acting director of national intelligence under Trump, and former U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., who was one of the former president’s strongest backers on Capitol Hill.

Smith Family – Justin, Dave, Kim and Rachelle (Davanzo) are shown Sept. 23, 2024 at their farm in Smithton. They hosted a private event attended by former President Donald Trump.

“America’s food supply and the farmland that enables it is critical to our national security … that is why we need President Trump back in the White House,” Zeldin said.

Among the Chinese threats listed by the group were buying U.S. farmland, lobbying politicians and buying influence, receiving state subsidies for their companies, getting states to use their technology and forcing dependence on their infrastructure and supply chains.

Specific to protecting U.S. agriculture and food supply, the group advocates prohibiting Chinese accumulation of farmland and protections for American agriculture companies that make their products domestically rather than outsourcing to China.

Several farmers raised concerns about the influence of China in America and the threat they

said that country poses to U.S. agriculture.

At the Smithton event, several farmers, some who are from third, fourth and fifth-generation farming families, said rising prices, inflation and outsourcing have led many of them to take second jobs to keep their families afloat. Several of them are surviving thanks to royalties from natural gas.

“Nobody’s done for farms what I’ve done,” Trump said, as he sat in front of a sign declaring “Protect our food from China.” “We’re going to protect (U.S. land)… it’s causing a lot of disruption and that’s what (China) wants to do.”

The crowd cheered as he talked about a deal with China to sell $50 billion of American-grown products. The event gave Trump a chance to drive home his economic message against Vice President Kamala Harris, arguing that imposing tariffs and boosting energy production will lower costs. He highlighted Harris’ reversal of a previous vow to ban fracking, a method of producing natural gas key to Pennsylvania’s economy.

At the roundtable discussion, Trump noticed the John Deere tractors behind him and said the company, which manufactures agricultural, forestry and other equipment, recently announced plans to move some of its jobs from the United States to Mexico.

“I’m just notifying John Deere right now: if you do that, we’ll put a 200% tariff on anything you want to sell into the United States,” Trump said.

General Carbide Corp. CEO Mona Pappafava-Rayn said to help her family company continue to grow in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, they began looking into making farming equipment. But over and over again they were told that while their products and prices were good, parts could be purchased in China much cheaper.

“That’s why you need tariffs,” Trump interjected.

Farmers from Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties shared personal stories with Trump.

Beth (Bethann) Leeper, a small business owner from Westmoreland County, said rising costs from feed to utilities are hurting her husband’s family farm, plus this summer’s weather hasn’t helped.

Matt Carr, a third-generation Westmoreland County dairy farmer, said that since 1992, the number of dairy farms in the United States had dropped from 130,000 to fewer than 26,000.

Trump asked him, “What’s the difference in production?”

Carr replied that total production is up as dairy farms get bigger.

“But we are losing the small family farm,” Carr said.

“I know that, yes,” Trump responded. Darrel Becker, the farm bureau president in Fayette County, said changing government regulations make it even harder for farmers and he complained about Chinese companies buying American cropland.

“Help us make American agriculture great again,” Becker said.

For Rachelle Davanzo, whose parents, Dave and Kim Smith hosted the event Monday on their 300-acre farm, supporting Trump and the initiative to protect and support agriculture was an easy decision for her and her husband, state Rep. Eric Davanzo, R-Smithton. Rachelle Davanzo’s parents, along with her brother, Justin Smith, run the farm.

“I grew up on this farm and I know the value of farmers and how hard they work,” Davanzo said. “His (Trump’s) values align with our family values and what we believe in.”

Rep. Davanzo said he believes many farmers feel left behind and added that it meant a lot to him for Trump to visit the farm where his wife grew up.

“We are excited to have him here,” Eric Davanzo said.

The event was also a platform for Trump to stump for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick, who is campaigning to unseat Sen. Bob Casey, the Democrat from Scranton.

“Bob Casey has done nothing for farmers — he has not been there. He’s 100% with the Biden vote,” Trump said.

Other roundtable participants included farmers Kevin Sweeney of Washington County, Nick Staffieri of Dawson, Fayette County, and Todd Reamer of Westmoreland County, U.S. Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-15th District, and state Sen. Kim Ward, R-Hempfield Township, president pro-tempore.

Security was tight at the Smith farm, as state police performed traffic control on the narrow, winding State Hill Road. Federal agents searched every vehicle inside and out — in person and with dogs — prior to allowing them to pull up into a hayfield and park near the venue, a large equipment barn. State police also had mounted units on a hill overlooking the property.

At the end of the discussion, Trump took a few questions from reporters. When asked if he was concerned that tariffs on manufacturers like John Deere would increase costs for farmers, he said of Harris, “She is not going to be good for Pennsylvania.”

After leaving Smithton about 4:30 p.m., Trump traveled to Indiana University of Pennsylvania for a rally last night. Westmoreland County supported Trump in 2020 with 63% of its vote, giving 35% to President Joe Biden.

Harris is scheduled to deliver a speech in Pittsburgh Wednesday.

Stacy Wolford is managing editor of the Mon Valley Independent.