Gentner Drummond broke with President Trump, while Mike Mazzei pledged support for Oklahoma producers without taking a position on the import plan.
OKLAHOMA CITY — President Donald Trump’s plan to temporarily lower tariffs on imported beef has stirred opposition from cattle producers and added a new issue to the closing days of Oklahoma’s Republican runoff for governor.
Trump said Friday in a Truth Social post that the United States will allow up to 300,000 metric tons of imported product intended for ground beef to enter without the higher out-of-quota tariff for 90 days. He said the imported beef would be sold at 25% below current market prices to help lower grocery costs.
The announcement quickly drew opposition from the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association and national cattle groups. It also put Gentner Drummond, a fifth-generation rancher, on the opposite side of Trump, who has endorsed Drummond’s runoff opponent, Mike Mazzei.
Cattle producers warn of lasting damage
The Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association called Trump’s proposal “extremely bad policy at exactly the wrong time for Oklahoma cattle producers” and urged the president to rescind it immediately.
The association said Oklahoma cattle families are already dealing with rising costs and worsening drought while the nation’s cattle herd remains historically small.
Late summer and early fall are when producers decide whether to retain young female cattle for breeding, how to manage feed and forage and when to market their calves. Those choices will help determine how quickly the nation can rebuild its cattle supply.
“At the very moment producers need confidence to invest in rebuilding the American cattle herd, this policy injects uncertainty into cattle markets and undermines the very producers being asked to rebuild it,” the association said.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association raised similar concerns, saying increased imports would undercut domestic producers and discourage ranchers from rebuilding their herds.
American Farmers & Ranchers Cooperative President Scott Blubaugh said the plan would bring more foreign competition into the market without addressing the long-term shortage.
“Will somebody please tell the president this is not ‘America First?’” Blubaugh said.
The cattle groups share Trump’s goal of making ground beef more affordable. But they argue that a temporary increase in imports could weaken domestic producers without providing lasting relief at the grocery store.
Drummond breaks with Trump
Drummond sided with the cattle groups while drawing a line between his support for Trump and what he considers best for Oklahoma.
“I’ve worked alongside President Trump when his policies are right for Oklahoma, but I’ll stand up to anyone when they’re wrong,” Drummond said on social media.
He said increasing foreign competition would hurt Oklahoma farmers and ranchers and pledged to “always put Oklahoma producers first” if elected governor.
Drummond returned to the issue Saturday, sharing the cattle association’s criticism and publicly asking what Mazzei thought about the plan.
Trump endorsed Mazzei before the June primary, and Mazzei has made the president’s support central to his campaign. The endorsement helped distinguish Mazzei in a crowded Republican field and remains one of his strongest arguments in Tuesday’s runoff.
Mazzei addressed Oklahoma producers in a social-media post Saturday afternoon without mentioning Trump or the import proposal.
“I meant every word of this 10 days ago, and I mean it today,” Mazzei wrote while sharing an earlier campaign post pledging to stand with Oklahoma farmers and ranchers.
“Oklahoma’s farmers and ranchers should never have to wonder whether their governor has their back,” Mazzei wrote. “I do. And I always will.”
OK Politics Today asked Mazzei’s campaign whether he supports or opposes the import plan. The campaign was also asked whether Mazzei would urge Trump to rescind it or, if he supports the policy, how he responds to cattle producers who say it will undercut them and discourage herd rebuilding.
Mazzei’s campaign did not respond directly to those questions. His social-media post did not say whether he supports or opposes Trump’s plan or whether the president should withdraw it.
Drummond and the cattle association have not always been on the same side during this campaign. The organization rescinded its endorsement of Drummond in January, citing concerns about his watershed-related regulatory and litigation strategies. It also announced that it would no longer endorse political candidates.
Their agreement on beef imports does not revive that endorsement. It does place Drummond and the association on the same side of an issue important to rural Oklahoma just before the runoff.
With voting Tuesday, Mazzei has told farmers and ranchers that he has their backs. He has not said what that means for a proposal from his most important political supporter that Oklahoma cattle groups want withdrawn.
