The President: Well, I
want to thank you very much.
And thank you to our great
Secretary of Agriculture,
Sonny Perdue.
Thank you,
Sonny, very much.
You've done a
fantastic job.
(applause) Sit
down, everybody.
Let's stay for a while.
Come on.
We did it. We did it. Remember?
(applause) They were all
saying, "You'll never get
NAFTA changed." We were
stuck with one of the
worst trade
deals in history.
"We'll never do it.
We'll never get a deal
done with China." I've
told everybody, "You got
to buy a lot of land, and
you've got to get much
bigger tractors right
now." Because we did a
great deal with China --
great for our country.
And hopefully, it's great
for China, too, because
we're going to sell them
the greatest product
you've ever seen, right?
The greatest product
you've ever seen.
(applause) But I am
thrilled to be back in
this incredible
state of Texas.
We've had a
tremendous victory.
And from what I
understand, those polls
are all saying we're way
higher than we were in '16.
Is that correct?
That's right, Dan.
Thank you,
Lieutenant Governor.
My Dan. Great.
Thank you very much.
We're doing good.
But this is where the
people are known for being
tough, and strong, and
hardworking, loyal,
fiercely patriotic -- just like 
America's incredible farmers.
My administration is
fighting for the American
farmer, and has been
fighting for the farmer
and the rancher
every single day.
And together, we've achieved 
something truly stunning.
And, really, it was
a historic number of
victories -- not one; we
had numerous victories.
A lot of them just -- it
sort of all came together.
What good timing.
I said, "Let's see if we
can get it done for this
event." Most
Presidents don't come.
And when they do,
they come once.
This is my third time in a
row, and I promise I'll be
here next year, too.
(applause) We'll
be here next year.
In fact, a poll just
came out -- Wall Street Journal.
It just came out.
Look at this: "Farmer
Approval of Trump Hits
Record, Poll Shows...
83 percent of the farmers
and ranchers approve of
the President's job
performance." 83 percent!
(applause) But, I want to
know, really: Who are the
17 percent?
Who are they?
(laughter) Who the hell
are the 17 percent?
(laughter) Anybody in
here from the 17 percent?
Don't raise your hand;
it may be dangerous.
(laughter) That's
pretty good, right?
But, on Wednesday, after
two years of hard-fought
negotiations, where the
farmers and ranchers stood
with me all the way --
they knew we had to do it.
It wasn't done by
other administrations.
They didn't want to do
it because it was nasty.
We signed a groundbreaking
trade agreement with China.
(applause) Under this
landmark agreement, China
will now be purchasing
$40- to $50 billion of
American agricultural
products every single
year, tripling our
agricultural exports to China.
You know, we had a deal:
It was done at $20
[billion] -- $20 billion
-- the most they ever
purchased, according
to Sonny Perdue.
I said, "Sonny, we have to
help the farmer because
they were targeted." And
I'm not saying I blame China.
You know, they want to
win; we want to win.
We all want to win, right?
We like to win.
How is your team doing
today, by the way?
I don't know.
How is it going?
(applause) Are
they doing okay?
We'll soon find out.
I said, "This is
wonderful thing.
I come to..." Look at
this place; it's packed.
It's sold out.
Look at the crowd.
It's sold out.
(applause) And you have a
-- you have a game with
the team, known as
"Texas." But we'll see how
it does.
Let's -- this
is right now.
This is the thing
we have to focus on.
But, on Thursday of this
week, we made a really
historic -- once again,
the Senate passed --
because this is in
addition to China -- the
U.S.-Mexico-Canada
Agreement to replace the
catastrophe, the disaster
known as "NAFTA." I've
been complaining about
it for many years.
Our jobs left.
Our factories closed.
Our companies
left, opened up.
They made product.
They sold it into the
United States -- no tax,
no nothing.
We have just the
opposite right now.
It's very painful if
they want to do that.
It's very hard for them
to do that, economically.
The "USMCA," as we call
it, will massively boost
exports for farmers,
ranchers, growers, and
agricultural producers
from North to South, and
from sea to shining sea.
It also has tremendous
impacts on manufacturers
and all of the other
things -- good for everybody.
But we won't bother;
we only care about the
farmers today,
and the ranchers. Right?
So we don't have to talk
about the manufacturers.
(applause) But
it's fantastic for
manufacturing and
lots of other things.
And our manufacturing
numbers are fantastic.
You see that. Remember?
Manufacturing. Phil, you remember?
"There's no more
manufacturing." And then
we have almost
600,000 jobs.
They said, the last
administration, "You'd
need a magic wand to bring
back manufacturing." So I
guess we found
the magic wand.
(applause) We found
the magic wand.
Joining us today are a few
of your strongest allies
in Washington who helped
make these achievements
possible.
Senators Pat Roberts and
Cindy Hyde-Smith -- where
are they?
(applause) Please. Please.
Pat and Cindy Hyde.
I'll tell you: These are
two people that love the farmer.
And Pat -- I mean, every
time I get a call -- Pat.
That meant like, "Come on.
Come on, President.
Let's go, President." But
what a great career you've had.
What an unbelievable
number of election
victories you've had.
We'd love to keep you for
a long time, but I don't
think we can talk about
him out of it at this point.
But, Pat, thank
you very much.
And Cindy Hyde-Smith, you
have a done a fantastic
job representing
everybody, but
representing the
farmers and ranchers.
Thank you very much.
And, Pat, thank
you very much.
Great job.
(applause) And
Representatives Randy
Weber, Roger Williams,
and John Carter.
Please stand up.
Warriors --
they're warriors.
(applause) And also, three
friends of mine -- Texas
leaders at the highest
level -- Lieutenant
Governor Dan Patrick,
Attorney General Ken
Paxton, and Agriculture
Commissioner Sid Miller.
Please stand up. Please stand up.
(applause) That's great. Hi, Sid.
I remember 2016
-- the election.
And the fake news --
these people back here --
(laughter) -- they were
going -- they were saying,
"Trump -- going to have a
hard time winning Texas."
And we came.
We made speeches, Sid.
Remember?
We'd have 25-, 30,000
people standing on line.
Can't get in.
And I said, "Why am I
going to have a hard time
with Texas?"
And I remember, Sid Miller
-- I didn't know Sid.
But he was big, and he had
the big,
beautiful cowboy hat on.
I love that hat.
I wish we could wear them
in Washington or New York
because I would be the
biggest buyer of that hat.
(laughter) I just don't
know if it would play
there, but I'll wear them
in Texas, I'll tell you.
But Sid was sitting there
with that hat on, and he
looked great.
And he said, "I don't know
about you, and I don't
know where you're getting
this information about a
close race in Texas,
but there's going to be
nothing close about
this race in Texas.
Trump is going to win this
race by so much, you're
not going to believe
it."
That's exactly what happened.
So, thank you very much.
I didn't know Sid.
He just said, "Trump is
going to win by a lot."
And ever since then, I've
liked Sid a lot, and you
turned out to be right.
Right, Sid?
Thank you very much.
Great job.
(applause) Great job.
I also want to take a
moment to send our love
and support to the
President of the American
Farm Bureau -- a great
guy -- Zippy Duvall.
Sadly, Zippy's wonderful
wife -- a tremendous
woman, married for 40
years -- Bonnie -- passed
away last night.
And we want Zippy and his
entire family to know we
are keeping them in our
thoughts and prayers.
And he was a very --
it was a very special
relationship, and I just
want to wish the family well.
And, Zippy, we're with
you 100 percent -- 100 percent.
Thank you very much.
(applause) So, I'm truly
honored to be addressing
the Farm Bureau's annual
convention for my third
straight year.
My administration
understands that if we
want to stand up for
America, we must stand up
for American farmers.
So important.
Incredible people.
(applause) If we want
America to thrive and
grow, then we must ensure
that America's farms
flourish and prosper.
And that's what
we're doing.
You feed our people, you
fuel our nation, you
sustain our land, you
uphold our values, and you
preserve our cherished
American way of life.
We want our products made,
grown, and raised right
here in the USA -- and
that's what's happening.
(applause) I hope you all
remember that, before I
took office, American
agriculture was being
crushed by an onslaught of
massive taxes; crippling
regulations; burdensome
federal mandates -- you
know about that.
I released it.
I released it all.
And horrendous
trade deals.
And they were
horrendous indeed.
I actually used to say,
"Who the hell would have
negotiated a
deal like this?"
When I ran for President,
I vowed to use every power
at my disposal to protect
American farmers and
restore the full strength
of American agriculture.
I promised that I would
always have your back.
And unlike the politicians
who came before me -- they
talked a lot; they did
nothing for you -- I kept
my promise.
(applause) Under the
previous administration,
net farm income plummeted
by more than 20 percent.
Under my administration --
and, remember, these trade
deals haven't even
really kicked in yet.
I told China, a couple
of months ago, "Do me a
favor.
We're going to
make a deal.
Start buying.
Start buying."
And they did.
Not as much as I
wanted, but they did.
They wanted to wait until
they got the signed
agreement.
Now we have the
signed agreement.
But they started buying.
But it's also Japan.
It's also other countries.
But net farm income has
gone up by more than $30
billion dollars -- an
increase of nearly 50
percent in just
three years.
Remember that.
(applause) And the big
stuff is yet to come.
The big numbers, in my
opinion, are yet to come.
We are fixing problems and
cleaning up messes that
others have neglected
for decades.
They've treated
you very unfairly.
They've treated
you very foolishly.
Frankly, they've treated
you stupidly -- stupidly
-- to put our great
farmers in this position.
We are winning for our
farmers, and we winning
like never before.
(applause) And don't
forget: When I ran, I
said, "We're going
to do this stuff.
We're going to do it."
But it was just words.
"We're going to do it."
Everybody said, "We're
going to do things."
But I did it.
We got it done.
And this is the time; I
couldn't say it last year.
Last year, I said,
"Hey..." You know, you
were being targeted by
China, in all fairness.
You were being targeted.
They stopped
buying, purposely.
Then I put the
big tariffs on.
Then I gave you a lot of
the money, out of the
tariffs.
We had a lot of money left
over, but we gave you --
Sonny told you -- $16
billion, and $12 billion
the year before.
And that made
you do very well.
But, you know, the
farmers came to me.
They said, "We
don't want anything.
We just want a level
playing field." And you
have now even more than
a level playing field.
(applause) The deal with
China will tear down
market barriers and pry
open vast new markets for
American beef, pork,
poultry, seafood,
soybeans, rice, dairy,
infant formula, animal
feed, biotechnology,
and much, much more.
This is an incredible
success for our entire
country, and it was
your fortitude, your
perseverance, and your
devotion that made it all
possible.
And I have to tell you,
another benefit, and a
very big benefit, is we
now perhaps have the best
relationship that we've
had with China in many,
many years.
And China respects us now.
They didn't respect us.
They couldn't believe they
were getting away with
what they were
getting away with.
(applause) Having a good
relationship with China is
good -- and Russia, is
good; and many other
countries, is
a good thing.
But we don't people
taking advantage of us.
For years, China stole
trade secrets from
American agri-businesses,
and plundered our
intellectual property,
illicitly subsidized grain
procedures, and installed
one barrier after another
to block out our farmers
and to block out our
ranchers.
When my administration
confronted these abusive
and destructive trade
practices, China targeted
American agriculture
for retaliation.
They even took ads, saying
what a bad person I was.
But the farmers -- only
some of them believe that.
And those people have come
all the way back, too.
To defend our farmers, I
authorized $28 billion
dollars.
And we're getting that
money, Sonny, to the small
farmers also.
There were some statements
-- big farmers -- no, we
get them to the
small farmers.
We get them to everybody
-- big farmers, small
farmers.
And we have a formula that
I think has been working
out, Sonny, very well.
If it's not, call me
directly, and I'll call
Sonny and give
him hell, okay?
(laughter) But we're
getting it to the small
farmers, the big
farmers, and everybody.
And that's a lot of money.
And I am delighted to
report that the final
installment of all of
those billions of dollars
of that money will be
coming very quickly,
Sonny, I guess.
Is that a correct
statement?
Yes?
Thanks.
You never backed
down -- (applause).
Unless you don't want it,
because you're making so
much money now.
If anybody would like to
give it up, please raise
your hand.
(laughter) You
stayed in the fight.
You protected our economy
and our security.
And, together, we all
together -- we prevailed.
You were always with me.
You never even
thought of giving up.
And we got it done.
And there were times when,
you know, the -- the media
was trying to
cause trouble.
They'd come into Iowa.
"Isn't it terrible with
the practices and the
trade." And the farmers
would say, "No, the
President is doing
the right thing.
It's tough, but the
President is doing the
right thing." But then
we started doing the big
tariffs -- taking in
literally tens of billions
of dollars.
And we started
giving money back.
I went to Sonny Perdue.
I said, "Sonny, what did
China -- what was the
number that China
did last year?"
He said, "Sir, they bought
$16 billion." I said, "Oh,
that's good.
What did they do
the year before?"
"Sir, they bought $12
billion worth of product."
I said, "Good." So
it's $12 billion.
We gave you the
$12 billion.
Then, $16 billion.
We gave you the $16
billion so you weren't
hurt.
And now we have a position
that I don't think the
farmers and ranchers have
been in this position
maybe ever.
I don't think so.
And I think it's going
to work out good.
And I think China is going
to go all out to prove
that the agreement that
was signed is a good
agreement.
And we have very, very
strong stipulations in
there.
But that it's a -- an
agreement that is a fair
agreement and good
for the farmer.
I think they're looking to
prove that it's going to
be great for the farmer.
But even bigger and better
than we ever thought
possible -- that's what
this agreement is.
It's much bigger and much
better than I ever thought
we'd get.
And, frankly, there were
times when I didn't think
we were going to get
anything because I
cancelled every meeting --
how many times have you
seen me cancel
with the Iran deal?
You didn't see
Kerry cancel ever.
He just took one bad point
after another bad point,
and then he signed a bad
agreement, and then we
terminated that deal.
But that's a little
different than the farmer
stuff.
But you didn't
any walking.
We walked from
this deal a lot.
And sometimes, you have to
walk from a deal in order
to make the right deal.
And we walked from this
one a lot, didn't we?
Phil was talking to
me, and our great past
governor.
It's sad to say that,
but you have a great new
governor.
Right, Phil?
But we were talking about
it, and he says, "You got
to do what you got to do.
If you can't make the
right deal, you got to
walk." It's true.
So we walked a lot.
And we always
got called back.
"Let's do it the way you
want." On behalf of every
American worker and
family, thank you for
standing strong
for America.
Thank you very much to the
farmers and ranchers for
standing with me; for
saying, "The President is
right.
Yes, it's tough right now,
but the President is doing
the right thing."
Thank you.
(applause) More than
anything else, it proved
to me that farmers
love America.
And I just want to tell
you that America loves our
farmers.
Thank you.
(applause) Under the deal,
China has agreed to spend
many billions of dollars
on American services,
energy, and
manufactured goods.
China has made substantial
commitments regarding the
protection of American
ideas, trade secrets,
patents, and trademarks.
China has also pledged
firm action to confront
pirated and
counterfeit goods.
Most important of all, the
deal is enforceable --
very, very powerfully
enforceable.
In fact, it was probably
the thing that we
negotiated the most.
And rest assured, we will
vigorously enforce its
terms.
Hopefully, we
won't have to.
Hopefully, it'll go
just as we anticipate.
In a matter of days, we
will achieve another
tremendous victory for
the American agricultural
businesses, when I sign
the USMCA into law.
So, we just passed it in
the Senate, and it was a
wonderful vote, and
I sign it very soon.
It's being prepared now
-- beautifully prepared.
I'm going to Europe to
talk to world leaders and
to talk to business
people about coming.
Everybody wants to
come back to America.
Everybody wants to come
back to the United States.
We're now where
the action is.
They're all coming back.
And when I come back,
we'll have a ceremony,
probably in the
White House.
We also may go to some of
the farming communities
and we're going
to sign the deal.
Under the USMCA, Canada
will finally provide
greater access for
American dairy.
You know, Canada was
charging us 287 percent
tariffs.
Nobody knew that.
Nobody knew that.
I knew it.
So, you basically couldn't
even deal with Canada.
But those days are gone.
Our dairy exports are set
to increase by more than
$300 million
dollars per year.
Poultry exports to Canada
could jump by nearly 50
percent.
(applause) Exports of eggs
to both Canada and Mexico
could skyrocket by as much
as 500 percent, and maybe
even 1,000 percent.
Very importantly, Canada
will finally give fair
treatment to
American-grown wheat,
which is a big
deal to you people.
What the hell do
I know about it?
(applause) I don't know
anything about it; I just
know you had a
problem with it.
I said to a couple of the
farmers -- I'd have a lot
of farmers at
the White House.
They were incredible.
I said, "What's
the big thing?"
"Wheat, sir." "Tell me
about it." And they told
me about it.
I'm a very quick study; I
figured it out quickly.
I said, "I know nothing
about it, but that sounds
right to me." So we
got it in the contract.
(laughter) The two
momentous trade deals we
completed last week are
just the beginning of a
really incredible story.
Because nobody thought
we'd ever get here.
They'd say the deal with
China would be impossible
to make, and getting rid
of NAFTA would
be totally impossible.
One of the reasons it was
totally possible: It was
such a bad deal for us
-- good for the other
countries; not
good for us.
We're achieving what no
administration has ever
achieved before.
And what do I get out it? Tell me.
I get impeached!
That's what I
get out of it.
(laughter) By these
radical left lunatics, I
get impeached.
But that's okay, the
farmers are sticking with Trump.
They're sticking
with Trump.
(applause) These people.
These people.
It could have been
so much easier.
Audience Member:
(Inaudible.) The
President: In just --
(laughs) -- thank you very much.
(laughter) In just the
past few months, we
persuaded Japan to slash
tariffs on
$7 billion of U.S. agricultural products.
Over 90 percent of our
agricultural exports to
Japan will now receive
preferential treatment.
Nobody thought
that was possible.
And, in many cases, we
will be completely duty
free -- and you've never
heard that before.
(applause) That's a $40
billion deal, by the way.
That's in addition to
China, and Canada, and
Mexico, and South Korea.
We secured guaranteed
access for American beef
to the EU -- European
Union -- a deal that will
nearly triple our beef
exports to Europe in the
coming years.
And, as you know, Europe
has had tremendous
barriers to us doing
business with them.
All those barriers
are coming down.
They have to come down.
If they don't come down,
we're going to have to do
things that are
very bad for them.
(laughter) No, we've been
taken advantage of by
everybody.
There's nobody that --
we -- we've been taken
advantage of by everybody. Europe.
Who would think Europe?
Europe was, in many ways,
more difficult -- and is
more difficult
-- than China.
Nobody would believe that.
I was saying to Sonny and
some of the people before,
"Dealing with Europe, in
many ways, has been worse
and tougher than dealing
with China." Not fair.
We have secured record
market access for U.S.
rice in South Korea;
it was a big one.
We won tariff exemptions in 
Ecuador for wheat and soybeans.
They were tariffing
us out of business.
We opened up Vietnam for
American orange growers.
We got Brazil to raise its
quotas for purchases of
our wheat and ethanol.
We opened up Guatemala and
Tunisia to American eggs.
And in November, we ended
China's years-long ban on
American poultry.
You know that very
well -- years-long.
And part of it
was: I asked.
I said, "You got to do
this." They said, "But
nobody has ever asked
before."
I said, "But I'm asking.
Thank you very much."
Nobody ever asked.
Half of it, nobody asked.
(applause) If we harvest
or herd it in the United
States, I want to help you
sell it all around the world.
To make American
agriculture even more
competitive, we passed
the biggest tax cuts and
reforms in American
history, by far.
And to help you keep your
family farm, and keep it
in the family, we
virtually eliminated the
deeply unfair estate tax,
or "death tax." We got rid
of it for small farms,
ranchers, and small businesses.
(applause) So, if you love
your children, you can now
leave your farms and your
ranches and your small
businesses to your
children, and you don't
have to pay tax.
(applause) If you love
your children, you don't
have to pay the estate
tax or the death tax.
If you do not love your
children, you don't really
care about that provision.
(laughter) Is there
anybody here that does not
love their children and
does not want to leave
their beautiful farm
to their children?
Anybody here?
Come on, you have guts.
I think farmers
have a lot of guts. Come on.
You mean there's not one
person that dislikes your
children because they're
brats -- because they're
spoiled rotten brats?
(laughter) Okay, well,
that's a pretty good group
of people.
Well, that's the
farmers for you, right?
That's the farmers.
(applause) But
think of that.
You know, people were 
wanting to pass along their farm.
And they'd pass away, and
their children would take it.
And then the tax people
would come along, and the
tax would be monumental.
And the income wouldn't be
so good, but the value of
the farm was a lot.
And they'd go out and
they'd mortgage the farm
to the hilt.
And within a short period
of time, the banks are
foreclosing on the farm,
and taking the farm, and
putting the farm
up for sale.
You don't have to worry
about that anymore.
There's no more
estate tax.
There's no more death
tax on those farms.
So, good.
That's good.
That's really good.
(applause) That's
very important.
That was a hard
thing to get.
That was hard to get by
the wonderful Democrats
that we have to
deal with every day.
Thanks to our pro-American
tax cuts, trade reforms,
and regulatory reductions,
America now has the
hottest economy anywhere
on Earth, and there's no
place even close.
Everybody is coming back.
Since my election, the
United States has gained
more than 7 million
jobs -- un-thought of.
If I would have said that
on the campaign trail, the
fake news would
have gone crazy.
(applause) The
unemployment rate is now
3.5 percent -- the lowest
in over 51 years, half a
century.
(applause) The African
American, Hispanic
American, and Asian
American unemployment
rates have reached the
all-time historic lows --
lowest in the history
of our country.
More Americans are working
today than ever before --
almost 160 million.
Never even been
close to that.
Under the so-called "Trump
Economy," the lowest-paid
earners are reaping the
biggest, fastest, and
largest percentage gains.
This is a
blue-collar boom.
Everybody is booming,
frankly, but it's a
blue-collar boom.
Net worth for the bottom
50 percent of wage earners
has grown 15 times more
under my administration.
Think of that: 15 times.
You know, 15 times more
than under the three prior
administrations.
Wages for the bottom 10
percent are rising faster
than for the
top 10 percent.
And that's okay for
the rich people.
Let somebody else enjoy
life a little bit, right?
Does any rich person -- of
which we probably have a
lot in this room -- any
rich person have a problem
with that?
Please stand up.
(laughter) I don't think
we're going to see that
person standing.
Real median household
income is now at the
highest level
ever recorded.
Think of that: highest
ever recorded.
You know, in the Bush
administration, for eight
years: $450.
In the Obama
administration, for eight
years: $975.
In the Trump
administration, for less
than three years: almost
$10,000, when you include
the tax cuts, the
energy savings, and the
regulation cuts.
Nobody can believe it.
(applause) Nobody
can believe it.
Think of that --
isn't that amazing?
-- $450, $975.
And that's been in eight
years, eight years.
And then you have less
than three years --
because it was done as of
a few months ago -- and
you have almost $10,000.
To power our future,
America is boldly
embracing energy
independence.
The United States is now
the number-one producer of
oil and natural gas in the
world, which means lower
prices for farmers
and consumers.
And you see how the prices
are: They're stable to low.
And it means America is no longer reliant
on foreign nations.
Isn't that nice?
(applause) And we are also
proudly
promoting American
ethanol.
Chuck Grassley calls me.
Joni Ernst calls me.
Deb Fischer calls me.
They all call
-- everybody.
Pat calls me. Ethanol.
They love ethanol.
And I recently approved
E-15 to be used all year
round, instead
of eight months.
And that's a big thing
for the American farmer.
We're providing
unprecedented support to
ethanol -- support like
they've never had before.
Yet, the radical left
in Washington wants to
demolish these gains.
And they, frankly, want to
destroy your way of life.
They are not
for the farmer.
They are not for
our military.
They are not for
secure borders.
They want open borders.
They want
sanctuary cities.
Essentially, what they're
saying is, "We want
crime." And they don't
want crime, but that's
what you get when you
have open borders.
And, by the way, just so
you know, the wall is
being built at a
very rapid pace.
We're over 100 miles now.
(applause) We think we'll
be over 400 miles by the
end of next year.
And shortly thereafter,
we'll have a completed wall.
And you probably also --
this was a big news story.
They saw people -- they
had to capture them.
They couldn't get
over the wall.
They had to send trucks
and ladders and firepeople
because they got stuck
on the top of the wall.
They couldn't get down.
Loaded up with
drugs on their back.
So it's very successful.
It's going to be very,
very successful.
It's having a big impact
already because we're
setting records now --
what we're doing, in terms
of people coming into
our country illegally.
We want them to come into
our country, by the way.
We want them to come in,
though, through merit.
We want them to
come in legally.
And we want them to come
so they can help the
farmer, just so
you understand.
Because I want them to be
able to come in to help
our farmers.
(applause) And we're going
to give you plenty of help.
Because without that,
it's very difficult.
Taking their cues from
socialists like Bernie
Sanders, or a fake
socialist like Pocahontas
-- (laughter).
She's actually worse than
a socialist, but she
doesn't want to admit it.
But the far left, they
want to massively raise
your taxes, crush your
-- your businesses with
regulations, take away
your healthcare, and send
bureaucrats to interfere
with your property and
second guess every
decision that you make.
They want to take it away,
and they want to load you
up with regulations, so
you can't live,
you can't breathe.
Left-wing politicians want
to shut down oil and gas
production in the
United States.
And if they succeed, they
will cost our farmers and
ranchers billions of
dollars per year in
royalty payments alone.
But more importantly,
you're not going to be
able to afford the energy
that you need to run your farms.
We will never
let it happen.
(applause) There are no
better stewards of our
precious natural resources
than the American farmers
who depend on the land and
the environment for their
very livelihood.
You love your land.
You're going to take
care of your land.
You don't need some
bureaucrat in Washington
telling everybody what the
hell to do with your land.
You love your land.
(applause) When it comes
to the environment, I will
always trust a farmer over
a Washington bureaucrat or
a left-wing extremist.
(applause) To help
producers expand, I signed
a Farm Bill that doubles
the amount you can borrow
to improve your farm.
You like that --
that Farm Bill.
And, Pat -- stand
up again, Pat.
Boy, he was brutal
in that Farm Bill.
I'd get a call every
two minutes from Pat.
(applause) I'd say, "Tell
him I'll call him back
next week." Great job.
We also protected the crop
insurance programs that
producers rely on in
times of disaster.
Through fires, floods, and
freezing weather, we will
always support our
great American farmers.
You have my word.
(applause) We have
liberated American
agriculture from an 
avalanche of federal regulations.
In the Trump
administration, we know
that the role of
government is not to
harass our citizens; it is
to serve our citizens, to
make life easy, and to
make you hire lots of
people, and have a great
farm, and have tremendous
success, and make lots
of money, and send your
children to school
-- be safe, be free.
Our law enforcement -- we
are going to protect our
law enforcement just
like they protect us.
(applause) When I took
office, I issued an order
requiring that for every
one new regulation, two
old regulations
must be eliminated.
Instead of two for one,
we have now cut more than
eight for one.
Nobody thought
that was possible.
(applause) As a result,
the average American
household will save $3,100
dollars a year, just on
regulation cuts and
sensible regulation.
Earlier this month, I took
decisive action to slash
regulatory and approval
times for critical
infrastructure used to
transport goods and
produce.
Currently, environmental
reviews can take 10 years
or more.
I've been through
it myself.
You want to build a
building, and you fear
it's going to take 12
years to get permits.
I say, "Twelve years?"
I've been through it, so
I understand
what you go through.
But our proposals will
limit the process to two
years -- and, in many
cases, less than one year.
(applause) And you may get
rejected for environmental
or safety reasons, but
it's going to go very quickly.
We will soon build new
roads, bridges, tunnels,
highways, railways, and
waterways across our land.
I terminated one of
the most ridiculous
regulations of all: the
last administration's
disastrous Waters of
the United States rule.
(applause) Thank you.
It's gone.
That was a rule that
basically took your
property away from you.
I'll never forget: At the
White House signing, I had
probably 30, 35 people
behind me -- farmers and
homebuilders and others --
people that haven't cried
in many years.
People that weren't --
some of them were so
tough, they never cried.
They didn't cry when
they were babies.
And they were crying.
(laughter) No, we gave
them their life back.
We did it in Minnesota,
with the iron ore.
We opened it up.
They took it away -- the
Obama administration.
Minnesota now has the
greatest fields in the
world -- iron ore.
But we did it in
a lot of ways.
But, in this case, it had
such a beautiful name, right?
It was so beautiful.
I said, "Oh, this is
disaster, but I'm going to
do it because I knew it
was the right thing to
do." And everybody
loved it.
And now you're
back in business.
You're doing what
you have to do.
They really took away your
property, and they took
away your property rights.
(applause) So, this rule
gave bureaucrats virtually
unlimited authority to
regulate stock tanks,
drainage ditches, and
isolated ponds as
navigable waterways
and navigable water.
You believe that?
Sometimes, you'd have a
puddle -- a little puddle.
And they'd consider
that a lake.
As long as I'm President,
government will never
micromanage
America's farmers.
You're going to
micromanage your own farm,
and that's the
way it should be.
(applause) And, today, I'm
proud to announce that I
am taking yet another
step to protect the water
rights of American
farmers and ranchers.
Under the previous
administration, the Army
Corps of Engineers
proposed a new Water
Supply rule that would
give the federal
government vast and
unlimited power to
restrict farmers'
access to water.
That's not a good thing.
Is anybody happy with
being restricted to water
if you have a farm?
Please stand up if you
are happy about that.
Because this authority
rightfully belongs to the
states, not the
bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.
That is why I am directing
the Corps of Engineers to
immediately withdraw the
proposed rule -- just
submitted recently,
meaning last
administration -- and
allow states to manage
their water resources
based on their own needs
and based on what their
farmers and ranchers want.
(applause) Water is the
lifeblood of agriculture,
and we will always protect
your water supply.
(applause) Since my
inauguration, we have also
devoted nearly $1
billion dollars to rural
broadband, connecting a
quarter of a million rural
households, and we're
moving at a rapid pace.
The USDA will soon award
another $1.1 billion, and
the FCC will soon vote
on a plan to direct $20
billion to rural
broadband.
It's about time.
You know, they take care
of their cities, but they
don't take care of you.
(applause) They take care
of their cities, but not
you.
In everything we do, we
are putting the needs of
American workers,
families, and farmers
first.
We are putting
America first.
(applause) The great men
and women in this room are
the stewards of a
inheritance and a noble
tradition that's
unrivaled.
It's handed down from one
generation to the next,
all the way back to the
very beginning of our
country.
You take pride in your
work, joy in your calling,
and deep satisfaction in
your vital contributions
to the life and health and
success of our republic.
America has always been a
farming nation -- founded,
built, and grown by people
just like you, who pour
out their heart, soul, and
sweat into this land; who
wake up at the crack of
dawn; who plow the soil,
plant the seed, and tend
the fields from the dawn
to dusk; and do not
rest until that job is
beautifully,
perfectly done.
Does that sound familiar?
I think so, right?
(applause) It's true.
That's the American
farmer, rancher.
You embody the spirit of
optimism that has always
defined this
magnificent country.
You look at an empty field
in the dead of winter, and
you envision the spark
of life in the peak of
spring.
That's what you see.
You see differently
than other people.
Farmers have always been
the keepers of our great
American values.
You champion the love of
family, the dignity of
work, and the
glory of God.
You teach your children
to celebrate our nation,
defend our freedom, honor
our values, and to always
respect and cherish our
great American flag.
(applause) Audience: USA!
USA!
USA!
The President: With your
faith, your grit, your
tenacity, your talent, and
your patriotism, the best
days for America and the
best days for America's
farmers and ranchers
are yet to come.
I want to thank everybody.
This has been such an
incredible turnout, and I
appreciate everybody
for being here.
We're taking care
of our farmers.
We're taking care
of our ranchers.
We're taking care of
our manufacturers.
We're taking care of our
military and our vets.
We're taking care
of our country.
It's "Make America Great
Again." It's "Keep America
Great." It's whatever
you want to call it.
We're the greatest country
anywhere in the world, and
we're taking care of you.
So thank you
all very much.
This is a great honor,
and I'm glad we've been
successful.
We got those deals done.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
(applause)
