Trump-Voting Beekeeper Regrets It After Business Takes Major Hit
Jim Hartman, a beekeeper from North Carolina who runs Secret Garden Bees, says he’s having second thoughts about voting for Donald Trump after doing so in every election.
Talking to CNN, Hartman admitted that if he’d known how Trump’s tariffs and budget cuts would affect his honey business, he might’ve voted differently.
“I never thought I’d lose this much money, this fast,” he said.
A big chunk of Hartman’s income nearly half came from selling honey to the government for use in schools and food banks. But thanks to budget cuts and the shutdown of a key Department of Agriculture program, that business is gone. He estimates he’s losing about $150,000 a year.
“That was a solid source of income for local farmers,” Hartman explained. “For me, it’s about half my revenue. It’s a massive hit.”
Tariffs haven’t hit his costs yet, but he’s bracing for impact. He recently bought a year’s worth of bottles from Taiwan and corks from Portugal just before new tariffs could have added $50,000 to $60,000 to the bill.
What really gets to him, though, is how unpredictable Trump’s been on trade policies. Just this week, Trump raised tariffs on China to 145%, while pausing them for most other countries for 90 days.
“He’s flip-flopped so many times you can’t count on anything,” Hartman said.
Despite being a Republican and Army vet, Hartman says he’s reevaluating things. He told the Wall Street Journal last month, “Stuff like this is pushing me left. The people Trump’s picked and the way they’re handling things it’s not okay.”
Pollinator’s Plight: Beekeeper Faces Economic Challenges Despite Trump Loyalty”
