CHARLES PAYNE (FOX BUSINESS HOST): We've got to be very careful not to become de facto agents of China and -- let's remember, it's not Trump's tariff war that's hurting the American farmer. It's China's retaliation. You know, China has been ripping America off for years. President Trump pushes back and they mug our farmers. It's not welfare that they're getting. We owe this to the American farmer for many reasons, including the fact that they're being targeted. They're being targeted for punishment by a foreign country.
SANDRA SMITH (CO-ANCHOR): We spoke to the head of the farmers union in Washington, D.C. last week and they support the president's actions, but they are suffering.
PAYNE: Sure.
SMITH: There is short term pain that they've got to deal with.
PAYNE: There is short-term pain, you know. And listen, when this whole thing was starting to evolve, right, and last year we talked about it a lot, I said President Trump should go on national TV and say, “at some point there will be some pain for this.” Now there's natural pain that comes with ultimately some higher prices for things, but also the retaliation. And unfortunately, the farmers are in the eye of the storm for many reasons. Listen, they're brilliant. President Xi is playing a brilliant public relations game and he's got a willing American media to help him out. Every single day, you know what they're doing over there now at 7:00? They say the national anthem. Everyone in the country. He knows that's going to -- like imagine President Trump, everyone say the national anthem. You know, so they are fighting back in every way they can because they don't want to give this up. It has been an amazing gravy train.
