Civiqs tracking data show Donald Trump’s net approval fell by 1 to 3 percentage points in each of 10 major beef-producing states from Aug. 21 to Sept. 21, after his import-quota announcement. The data do not establish that the policy caused the declines.
Under the plan, the U.S. would temporarily allow up to 300,000 metric tons of additional imports for ground-beef production over 90 days, without the higher tariff otherwise applied above the quota. Trump said the beef would sell for 25% below current market prices, and the White House said imports could lower grocery prices. The measure is scheduled to remain in effect beyond Election Day on Nov. 3.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association argued that below-market imports could work against efforts to rebuild the U.S. cattle herd; CEO Colin Woodall said the policy “sacrifices long-term stability for short-term messaging.” On Sept. 21, Trump still had positive net approval in North Dakota (+12), South Dakota (+3), Kansas (+2), Montana (+1) and Oklahoma (+1). The average decline across the 10 states was 2.1 percentage points.
