Stapleton: Trump’s trade policy hurts Colorado farmers

GOP candidate wants “endgame” strategy from the president

Republican candidate for governor Walker Stapleton criticized the White House’s trade policy Thursday, saying the president’s escalating trade wars are hurting Colorado farmers.

“I will work with Washington on policies that I think will be a benefit, and I will stand up when policies will damage our economic future,” Stapleton said.

President Donald Trump raised U.S. tariffs on products coming from China, and earlier this month China retaliated with its own tariffs on American goods.

That’s caused a drop in prices for crops from soybeans to wheat. Stapleton said he spoke with cattle ranchers who are worried because China buys about $600 million of Colorado’s beef exports per year.

This month, the Chinese government announced plans to impose a 25 percent tariff on soy, corn, wheat, beef, pork and more. Tariffs are taxes countries place on foreign goods.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty in the marketplace when you have price fluctu ations of 15 to 20 percent … ,” Stapleton said. “That creates economic havoc for our agricultural industry.”

Stapleton wants to see a plan from the president for an “endgame” to these escalating tariffs because the producers he spoke with told him: “If we’re being asked to bleed right now, we need to know that there is a plan in place to heal us over the long run.”

But Democrats saw something different in Stapleton’s criticism.

“Nobody should be fooled by what this is — a laughably lame attempt by Stapleton to distance himself from Trump after clinging to him through the primary,” said Eric Walker, Colorado Democratic Party spokesperson.

Colorado is still considered a swing state, but it has been trending bluer in recent years. Voters picked Hillary Clinton for president in 2016, and they have elected only one Republican governor in the last 30 years.

Stapleton told reporters he’s consistently promised to push back on federal policies when he disagrees with them.

When asked whether he’s talked to the president about his concerns, Stapleton said he’s spoken to U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, RColorado.

“I am interested in talking to governors in other states,” Stapleton said.