""Well, Martha, in case you don't know it, I'm actually a soybean farmer. So, I have - I have felt this pain too," Bessent said, responding to anchor Martha Raddatz's question about growers hurt by tariffs and stalled exports to China. It was an improbable statement from one of the wealthiest members of President Donald Trump's Cabinet and one of its few out gay officials. According to , Bessent's net worth hovers around $600 million, built over decades as a hedge fund manager"
"He said the deal would include renewed Chinese purchases of soybeans and a delay in Beijing's rare earth export restrictions. "I believe when the announcement of the deal with China is made public, our soybean farmers will feel very good about what's going on both for this season and the coming seasons," he said on . Bessent also credited Trump's 100 percent tariff threat with forcing China to the table."
"Related: Scott Bessent's mortgage history undercuts Trump's case to oust Fed governor Lisa Cook Online, however, the reaction was swift and unforgiving. "Bessent's a soybean farmer the same way Elon Musk is a coal miner; spiritually, from a distance," one post on X, formerly Twitter, read. Others juxtaposed his quote with images of his former Charleston, South Carolina, home - the pink-stucco John Ravenel House -and asked, "Any other soybean farmers li"
Scott Bessent publicly asserted that he "felt the pain" of America's soybean farmers while promoting a proposed U.S.-China trade framework. The proposed deal would include renewed Chinese soybean purchases and a delay on Beijing's rare earth export restrictions. Bessent emphasized that a public announcement would reassure farmers and credited a 100 percent tariff threat with bringing China to negotiations. Bessent's substantial net worth—roughly $600 million—and $25 million invested in leased Midwestern farmland prompted sharp online backlash and ridicule, with critics questioning the sincerity of his farmer claim and highlighting his upscale background.
Read at Advocate.com
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