In Ag-Friendly Iowa, Trump goes after DeSantis on agriculture issues

Donald J. Trump on Friday attacked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for his support of farmers, saying his main rival for the Republican presidential nomination would be “a catastrophe” for the country’s agricultural industry.

Mr. Trump claimed at a rally in Iowa that Mr. DeSantis would outsource US farm jobs abroad and oppose the federal mandate for ethanol, a fuel made from corn and other crops. Support for ethanol, of which Iowa is a national leader in production, is a four-yearly problem in presidential elections in this early-election state.

In 2017, Mr. DeSantis supported legislation that would end the renewable fuel standard, a nearly two-decade-old standard that requires refineries nationwide to blend biofuel with gasoline. The policy is opposed by some conservatives, who see the mandate as heavy government regulation.

Speaking to hundreds of supporters in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on Friday, Mr. Trump rattled off his track record of meeting priorities for conservative farmers, including raising the exemption limit on estate taxes and replacing the North -US Free Trade Agreement. He then eagerly emphasized what he believed to be his rival’s history of opposing an issue that carries undue political weight in Iowa.

“He’s been fighting for years to kill every job supported by this vital industry,” he said of ethanol. “If he had his way, the entire Iowa economy would absolutely collapse.”

A spokesperson for Mr. DeSantis did not respond to a request for comment.

The event was Mr Trump’s first major event in the state in nearly four months after a rally scheduled for May was canceled by the campaign, which reported possible severe weather.

Held in a convention hall near the Nebraska border, the rally was packed with voters from the neighboring state — and non-early voters —.

“I hope Nebraska is represented here,” Trump said as the crowd erupted in cheers. “That’s a big contingent.”