HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — Trump officials made a trip to the Pennsylvania Farm Show on Thursday to pitch the administration’s policies and counter remarks made a day earlier by Gov. Josh Shapiro (D).
Shapiro, while touring the farm show, said the president’s tariffs are a gut punch to farmers.
Thanks for signing up!
Watch for us in your inbox.
Subscribe Now
“Make no mistake,” Shapiro said. “When the president pushes a button and causes a multi-billion dollar problem for the ag industry, meaning a multi-billion dollar price hike for the ag industry, it’s very hard to make that up at the state level.”
U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, joined by National Nutrition Advisor Ben Carson, called the governor’s statement “really unfortunate.” Tariffs, she said, are meant to rebalance an agriculture trade deficit created by the Biden administration.
“We inherited an absolute mess last January,” Rollins said.
Since Trump took office last year, Rollins said dairy exports went up 23%. That’s a statistic likely to resonate in Pennsylvania, which ranks seventh in the nation for dairy exports.
Shapiro shakes hands, shuns politics at Pennsylvania Farm Show
“So, that is a tired talking point from the Democrats, and I will not stand for it,” Rollins said.
Still, growers said tariffs create uncertainty for their businesses. Partisan politicians taking shots at each other is nothing new, even at the farm show. But Pennsylvania farmers will continue to do what they do, and the farm show will continue to celebrate them.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27.