MEAT+POULTRY - January 2025 - 23

Kieffer, vice president of public policy at the
American Farm Bureau Federation. " When
tariffs are levied by the United States, foreign
governments often target American agricultural
exports for retaliation. In fiscal year 2024,
Mexico became our No. 1 destination for
American agriculture exports for the first
time ($30 billion). Canada was No. 2 ($29
billion), and China was the No. 3 destination of
exported US ag products ($25.7 billion). "
Through the third quarter of 2024, US
exports were $264 billion to Canada, $253
billion to Mexico and $105 billion to China.
More broadly, those three countries shipped
more than $1 trillion in goods to the United
States from January through September of
this year, according to the US Commerce
Department. Mexico led the way with $379
billion, followed by China at $322 billion and
Canada at $309 billion. Mexico and Canada
have combined for $688 billion in US imports
this year, outpacing the entirety of Europe's
$565 billion.
VOTING FOR CHANGE
During a webinar hosted by the Meat Institute
this past month, political strategists provided
insights about how the new administration's
actions might affect the industry right out
of the gate and for the ensuing four years.
" Meat Institute Post-Election Insights and
Implications " featured presentations by two
seasoned consultants with extensive political
backgrounds who addressed how the election
outcome reflected voters' overwhelming
desire for change and how voting against the
status quo could mean making some sobering
compromises. Presentations during the
webinar helped explain the meaning behind
the Republican party's victory and what the
result might mean for the meat and poultry
processing sector in the near future and for the
next four years.
One of the presenters was Tucker Eskew,
a co-founding partner at Austin, Texas-based
Vianovo, a bipartisan public advisory firm
specializing in managing high-stakes brand,
political and crisis issues.
He has worked in leadership roles in
both Bush-Cheney campaigns and in 2008
was counselor to Sarah Palin, the GOP's
vice-presidential nominee. He specializes in
issues management, crisis communications
and strategic positioning for clients focused
on various sectors, including manufacturing,
defense, education and technology. At the
White House, Eskew served as Deputy
Assistant to President Bush from 20012003,
heading media affairs as well as
global communications.
Early in his political career, Eskew
worked as an intern with then Secretary of
Agriculture John Block's office. Looking back
at the reelection campaign of the Reagan
administration and every election cycle
when there is a changing of the guard at the
executive branch, voters and legislators are left
to discern, 'was there a mandate issued by a
particular election.'
Eskew posed the question based on the
most recent election: " Will the Trump-Vance
administration claim the will of the public and
use that to get things accomplished and, most
importantly, what those things will be? "
Eskew focused on what the meaning
of the election was; what was the mandate
from the voters' perspective and how that
aligned with the newly elected administration.
He pointed out that the 2024 election took
place during a time of economic volatility
with unrelenting inflation and a backdrop of
unprecedented political division and severely
fragmented partisanship.
" Voters have decisively rejected the status
quo, " Eskew said. " They wanted change. "
In a campaign season that saw accusations
and claims of fascism, communism, socialism
and worse, and despite polling numbers that
indicated widespread concern about the ability
of the person they elected to potentially lead
the country in an authoritarian manner, voters
cast their ballots for him anyway. Eskew
described the outcome as the definition of a
change election.
" And so, at a minimum, I would say there
was a negative mandate, " he said.
He made the point that based on exit poll
results, a majority of voters in swing states,
especially those occupied by working class
voters and many of whom were without college
degrees, felt that the economy was suffering.
For many at the polls, including Latinos,
younger women, single women, and unmarried
voters, their loyalty shifted, knowing that
change would mean accepting the bad with
the good.
www.meatpoultry.com | 01.25 | MEAT+POULTRY
23
" Voters have
decisively
rejected the
status quo. "
- TUCKER ESKEW
http://www.meatpoultry.com
MEAT+POULTRY - January 2025

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