Sonny Perdue Makes Fun of Minnesota Farmers. Are Republicans Taking Their Base for Granted?

Sonny Perdue, USDA photo

Public Speaking Rule #1: if you want the audience to trust you, don't make fun of them. Is that so hard?

I lived in the Central Savannah River region of South Carolina, right across the river from Augusta, Georgia, for many years, where I saw endless publicity releases, campaign ads, and news stories about Sonny Perdue when he was governor of Georgia. I never developed a high opinion of him and was appalled that anyone would vote for such a man.

Donald Trump appointed Perdue to be Secretary of Agriculture. Well, yes, Perdue grew up on a farm and, yes, Georgia is an agricultural state. Perdue's appointment made sense in some twisted reality.

Anyway, Trump's trade war with China, which is part of his misbegotten America First policy, has pushed the United States' family farms to the point of near-disaster. American farmers export much of their harvest and depend on international trade for their livelihood. China has retaliated against Trump's tariffs by cutting off American farm imports. Instead, China signed long-term trade agreements with other countries. Promised federal bailout money has mostly gone to big agribusinesses, not family farms.

Farmers, by and large, still support Trump. Still, when Perdue spoke to farmers in Minnesota a few days ago, he didn't seem to sense their concerns. He told them that, "If your solution is to forget about what China has done and sell and trade with them anyway with cheating, then I just fundamentally disagree with you." As the farmers continued to dissent, Perdue replied, "What do you call two farmers in a basement? A whine cellar." Whine cellar?

The audience booed. Of course.

So, here's the story: farmers, for the most part, love Trump. They are part of his voting base. Trump's policies, which should have surprised no one (what did farmers think "America First" meant?), are wrecking their businesses. The farmers expect Trump's Secretary of Agriculture to support agriculture. That seems reasonable. The farmers shared their concerns with the Secretary of Agriculture. He ridiculed them for being whiners.

Policy-wise, Perdue implied that farmers needed to tolerate economic hardship as part of Trump's trade war against China. To some extent, they probably will. But for how long? Rural America has voted solidly Republican for decades. I expect that to continue. But making fun of your own base can't end well.

Good public speakers establish rapport with their audience. When they have real concerns, telling them to stop whining is not just bad politics; it's also a bad public speaking technique.

P.S.: Tariffs are always popular, and they are always a bad idea.