New nonprofit argues that Trump has hurt rural America

Chris Gibbs

A new political non-profit launched Monday, Rural 2020, plans to advertise in battleground states to advocate policies it believes will benefit agriculture and rural Americans, and attempt to convince voters that the Trump administration has hurt rural America. It plans to build community coalitions in battleground states, and has a radio ad.

Chris Gibbs, an Ohio soybean farmer and former official of the Farm Service Agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, founded the organization and chairs it. Gibbs says he is a former Trump voter and former Republican who unsuccessfully ran as an independent against Rep. Jim Jordan, a Trump acolyte. "I knew we were in trouble when the president said trade wars are good and easy to win," Gibbs said in a statement. "Lost trade opportunities, dwindling health-care providers, rural hospital closures, below cost of production prices for commodities and livestock, collapse of the biofuel market, bankruptcies, and suicides all plagued rural America well before covid-19. The uncoordinated response of the Trump administration to the pandemic has upended traditional food supply chains and only made things worse for our dairy, livestock, and fresh produce farmers."