In this red state, cattle ranchers are fuming. They blame Trump.

Three Montana ranchers told USA TODAY they were frustrated by the White House's decision to import more than 300,000 metric tons of foreign beef. "It's absolutely idiotic," one said.

POWER, MT − When Tim Brunner was at an auction barn earlier this week, he was surprised to see decent cows selling several hundred dollars cheaper than they were just a few weeks ago. 

He largely blames President Donald Trump. And he’s not the only one.

The White House’s abrupt decision last week to ease tariffs on 300,000 metric tons − more than 660 million pounds − of foreign beef imports has infuriated American cattle ranchers and congressional Republicans alike. 

Though the president promised the 90-day change would ease high prices for staple foods like hamburgers, many domestic livestock producers took it as a slap in the face during an already difficult time. 

"It’s absolutely idiotic," said Brunner, president of the Montana Cattlemen's Association, one of several organizations representing cattle ranchers across the Treasure State.

Standing in his own ranch in the town of Power, population 200, Brunner worried about the prospect he'd have to sell cattle at cheaper prices because of the shift, which has left many people like him with unanswered questions.

Trump signed a more detailed proclamation on Aug. 26, which includes a provision allowing him to pump the brakes on the plan if beef prices don't come down quickly as a result. It remains unclear from the document which country (or countries) the beef, to be sold at 25% below market value, would come specifically and where it would be sold. The Department of Agriculture did not provide more specifics to USA TODAY, and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative did not respond to a request for comment.

Even Brooke Rollins, the secretary of agriculture, said in a Spectrum News interview that she hasn’t been involved in certain conversations about implementing the decision. She has defended Trump, though, telling reporters this week at the White House that a "temporary" fix was needed amid a longer-term federal response to historic industry challenges.

"He is working to fill a gap, a pretty big gap, in the supply chain," she said, while also touting the administration's efforts to cut regulations. After a week of backlash, the president regained some political ground among stock growers by vowing to break up the four major meatpackers, which he said "make life miserable" for them.

Yet in ruby-red states like Montana, cattle ranchers have done little to hide their frustration with Trump's latest turn toward foreign imports. Though the move directly affects just a fraction of the beef market − experts say it represents only about a week’s worth of U.S. consumption − it’s not the first time the president has arguably undercut American ranchers. In February, he signed an executive order to lift tariffs on 80,000 metric tons of beef from Argentina. Half a year later, he’s again boosting record-high imports in an industry in which prices are heavily influenced by perceptions about supply.

In the final stretch of a crucial midterm election year, Trump's decision has generated an unusually loud chorus of opposition among Republican lawmakers in Congress. In some critics' eyes, it's part of a pattern of behavior of disregarding farmers and ranchers.

Gus Mundt, a fourth-generation Montana rancher and father to a 3-year-old girl, braced at the thought of selling his heifers at lower prices. That's a change from just a few months ago, when market improvements allowed him to invest in a new tractor.

"It just sucks," he told USA TODAY. "Now I’ve got to think about having to save again."

A 'triple whammy'

Summer’s end already marks a tougher season for ranchers. Around September is usually the start of the "fall run," a period when the market is oversaturated with an influx of cattle, driving prices down. Typically, the fall run peaks in October and November − exactly around the time Trump’s 90-day clock for the mystery beef will run out. 

Yet boosting imports isn’t the only policy decision coming out of the White House that's affecting ranchers in places like Montana. The president also is ratcheting up his trade war with neighboring Canada. At the same time, the Iran war has made fertilizer and fuel more expensive. 

"It’s a triple whammy," said Richard Liebert, another rancher and former president of the Montana Cattlemen's Association. "This is like the perfect storm of crap."

U.S. cattle herd at record low

High beef prices for consumers have been a concern since the start of Trump’s second term. But they’ve been years in the making. 

Pasture conditions started to deteriorate significantly in 2020, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation, an agriculture industry lobbying group. Then COVID-19 pandemic-related economic disruptions and severe drought across the nation persisted, driving up supply chain costs for ranchers and sharply contracting the domestic cattle inventory. 

Amid all those dynamics, the overall U.S. beef and dairy cattle herd hit a 75-year low this year. Americans' demand has largely remained strong, meanwhile, leading to higher prices for things like hamburger meat and steak at the grocery store and restaurants.

Those costs have frustrated consumers and created a political liability for the Trump administration. 

"This deal will reduce prices for Americans while giving space for our Great American Beef Herd to grow again," Trump wrote on social media when announcing his foreign-import plan.

In a political environment in which congressional Republicans are typically loath to outwardly break with Trump over most controversial topics, the outcry came swiftly and loudly.

Within hours of the announcement, GOP lawmakers across the country said they opposed the plan. Montana Sen. Tim Sheehy, a cattle rancher himself, said he had tried to persuade Trump to drop the idea. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, said the same thing, calling the plan "ill-advised."

Sheehy warned the move would hurt many livestock producers, "most of whom are MAGA Republicans."

"The President’s heart is in the right place on wanting lower prices for the American people," he said in a statement. "But the reality is this action will make it more difficult for American ranchers to rebuild our herd and bring prices down for the American people."

A number of Republicans in Congress, including South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds, said the situation underscored a need to put country-of-origin labels on beef. Though he acknowledged the labels wouldn’t be a "silver bullet," he called them a common-sense solution that would make ranchers feel better and give consumers the option to prioritize buying American products.

"Our producers will compete all day long," Rounds said in a statement, "but only if there is a level playing field."

In this red state, cattle ranchers are fuming. They blame Trump.