Trump has repeatedly compared himself to Lincoln, who signed legislation creating the USDA in 1862.
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Trump has repeatedly compared himself to Lincoln, who signed legislation creating the USDA in 1862.
May 15, 2025
May 15, 2025 – In the midst of cuts to staff, programs, and grant funding, as well as news that it may move more staff out of Washington, D.C., the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has adorned its D.C. headquarters with giant banners of Presidents Donald Trump and Abraham Lincoln, side by side.
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In an Instagram video unveiling the new banners, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins wrote that “the People’s Department is being restored—leaner, stronger, and laser focused on its mission of putting farmers first.”
Lincoln signed legislation establishing the USDA, which he called the “people’s department,” in 1862. Over the years, Trump has repeatedly compared himself to Lincoln, more than once referencing how his first administration impacted Black Americans. During the 2024 campaign, at the National Association of Black Journalists conference, he said, “I have been the best president for the Black population since Abraham Lincoln.”
After he took office in January, one of the agency’s first actions was to throw out the USDA’s Equity Commission report that outlined detailed recommendations to help the agency tackle historic racism and better serve Black farmers. Since then, the agency has rooted out and canceled grants to organizations that prioritize serving Black farmers and other groups that have long faced discrimination. (Link to this post.)
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June 26, 2025
At our latest Civil Eats virtual salon, our team talked about the launch and evolution of the Tracker, a running report on federal actions that affect food and agriculture.
January 20, 2025
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