“The new golden age of prosperity” will move in again,” Department of Agriculture Secretary Brook Rollins told reporters this week following President Donald Trump’s historic “Liberation Day” announcement.
When asked about countries like Ireland and Italy complaining about the tariffs — as Trump ushered in a new era of reciprocal tariffs — Rollins said this is all about putting America first.
“Yesterday obviously was a big day, and it was an effectuation of the President’s vision of national security, of food security, putting our Americans first, our farmers and our ranchers, which, as Secretary of Agriculture, is really what I’m focused on,” Rollins began.
“I know we’re hearing from countries that are kind of complaining about what’s happening, but I have a chart,” she said, showcasing a small chart that displayed the exports of other countries, including India, Taiwan, and Japan.
“This is the average, 14 percent, she said, pointing to the middle of the chart before gesturing toward the U.S., which stood at the far end of the chart.
“Well, down here, you’ve got little bitty United States of America, right? I mean, this is what he’s trying to fix,” she said.
Rollins said that farmers and ranchers understand that there may be a period of uncertainty, but they understand that, in the long haul, this is the move.
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Ahe said before taking another question:
As we restructure the American economy, the government, American economy and our private sector, with the government playing a role in that, President Trump’s vision of using tariffs — again, I’m not surprised there’s some complaining, but at the end of the day, this President committed to putting Americans first, and as part of that, our farmers and our ranchers.
The next reporter asked Rollins about declining financial markets, asking if Wall Street is viewing Trump’s move differently. Rollins pointed out that the U.S. is merely hours into the new era and to give it time.
WATCH:
Agriculture @SecRollins on tariffs: "For our farmers and our ranchers, they understand that there may be a short time of uncertainty." pic.twitter.com/cgVKrJuJwG
— CSPAN (@cspan) April 3, 2025
“Listen, y’all, we are a couple hours in. The President announced this yesterday afternoon. We knew that there would be some of that, as people are adjusting, but at the end of the day, yesterday marked step one,” she said confidently.
“This will be a short time of uncertainty, and then we’ll move back to the prosperity that this President has envisioned, that he is so bold and so willing to fight for and I couldn’t be more proud and stand next to him,” she continued, ending on a very positive note.
“The new golden age of prosperity will move in again,” she predicted. “For me, I’m really focused on our farmers and our ranchers, and that’s what we continue to focus on, but it will reach every corner of America as we are restructured.”
