Trump Pledges ‘Legal Documents’ to Let Ranchers and Farmers ‘Process Their Own Food’

President Donald Trump speaks at Rockland Community College, Friday, May 22, 2026, in Suffern, N.Y. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

A week after Donald Trump said he would lift tariffs on beef imports in a bid to lower prices — sparking massive backlash from critics who said the move would hurt American ranchers — he announced a bid to boost them.

Trump took to Truth Social on Friday to proclaim he would allow farmers and ranchers to “PROCESS THEIR OWN FOOD:”

Ranchers and Farmers have always been a number one priority for me. They work very hard, are smart, efficient, and immaculately CLEAN, but for years I have heard that they have had a tremendous problem with the Big Processors, who many say are a nasty Monopoly. There are, essentially, 4 of them, a very non competitive number, and they make life miserable for our wonderful Farmers and Ranchers, and I can’t let that happen, can I? So, in order to break this powerful monopoly, with much of its ownership based outside of the U.S., I am authorizing legal documents to be drawn in order to allow Farmers and Ranchers to be given the right to PROCESS THEIR OWN FOOD. This should move quickly. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP

The announcement came days after podcaster Glenn Beck asked Trump about the issue during a Wednesday interview on The Glenn Beck Show.

During the interview, Beck suggested the president “look at the cartel ⁠that is the meat processing cartel” and raised the idea that slashing Department of Agriculture regulations on beef processing could help ranchers.

The majority of meat processing in the United States is controlled by companies such as Cargill, Tyson Foods, JBS USA, and National Beef Packing Co., according to Reuters.

The Department of Justice confirmed last year it was probing the major meat companies for antitrust violations and inflated beef prices.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!