President Donald Trump may be a resort-dwelling real estate magnate who entered politics via golden escalator, but even a trade war with China hasn't tarnished his image as a champion for an unlikely group: farmers and ranchers. Farmers are one of the most visible casualties of the U.S.-China trade war, which escalated sharply this week as both sides landed blows that could hold potentially devastating consequences for U.S. agriculture. Yet farmers appear to be sticking by Trump — not just the Republican they largely supported in the 2016 election, but the trade warrior who has put their industries in China's sights. And while they're far from the largest group in Trump's corner, farmers could prove to be a crucial voting bloc in the 2020 election. The Purdue Center for Commercial Agriculture's latest producer survey, which was conducted last month and released Tuesday, showed a record-high 78% of farmers said they believe the trade war will ultimately benefit U.S. agriculture. That roughly matches Trump's overall approval rating of 79% among farmers, according to a Farm Pulse survey conducted around the same time.

Trump, who has dubbed himself a "tariff man," has often asserted that China bears the brunt of the tariffs and that the U.S. is taking in "tens of billions of dollars" from the import taxes. But while tariffs make Chinese goods more expensive for Americans to buy, U.S. importers are the ones who directly pay the taxes. @realDonaldTrump: Based on the historic currency manipulation by China, it is now even more obvious to everyone that Americans are not paying for the Tariffs – they are being paid for compliments of China, and the U.S. is taking in tens of Billions of Dollars! China has always....

The 2020 field