President Trump’s agriculture secretary apparently threw a frenzied “fit” in the Oval Office over ground beef.
Brooke Rollins, 54, stormed into Trump’s office when news reached her that a Stephen Miller-led effort to ease tariffs on imported beef would pass as an executive order, Politico reported Thursday.
While Miller, the deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security adviser, vouched that easing tariffs on beef imports would help lower prices, Rollins viewed the move as an abandonment of American ranchers and farmers—a key group in Trump’s base.
It was because of Rollins’ rage that the president ultimately shelved the executive order after he returned from his trip to China last week, a person directly involved in the negotiations told Politico.
“Should we lose the House in November, this beef fight will be one of the key moments of the year that show how efforts to respond to public demands were strangled [by Rollins],” a White House official told the outlet.
Grocery store beef prices are reaching record highs, with the average price for a pound of ground beef skyrocketing to $6.89 in April, according to federal data. The cost of beef has surged by nearly a quarter since Trump took office, aligning with the affordability crisis many Americans say they are facing.
But farming and ranching advocates feel that boosting imports would hinder the president’s promise to rebuild U.S. livestock inventory and domestic production.
Publicly, Rollins has insisted that her boss has ushered in a “golden age” of farming. At the same time, a survey from the American Farm Bureau Federation found that 70 percent of respondents struggle to afford fertilizer. Rollins has an estimated net worth of $15 million, and her husband, Mark, is the president of major oil firms Hillwood Energy and HKN Energy.
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A USDA spokesperson told the Daily Beast, “We do not comment on private meetings between the President and the Secretary. The President, and the President alone, is leading the greatest team ever assembled to make America great again, and Secretary Rollins is proud to work as part of it.”
Rollins’ and Miller’s battle over beef may not bode well for the agriculture secretary. Miller was known for frequently clashing with now-ousted Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem—and that ended with her being abruptly axed in humiliating fashion.
However, Trump siding with Rollins could signal that the tide is turning. After all, Trump is reportedly leaving Miller in the cold after his disastrous direction of immigration enforcement earlier this year.
Regardless, the agriculture secretary also has other issues at hand. Last week, she was sued by a federal employees’ union for allegedly sending emails to underlings that promoted her own Christian beliefs—in apparent violation of the First Amendment.
She was also called out for only marking Christian holidays and not “even acknowledging—let alone celebrating or sermonizing—other religions’ holidays.”
