Bill Maher Stuns John Mellencamp by Telling Him Donald Trump 'Wrote a Lot of Checks to Farmers' 

Comedian Bill Maher spoke with Indiana rocker John Mellencamp about the plight of American farmers and the political dynamics surrounding them, seemingly shocking the “Small Town” rocker with his spin on President Donald Trump’s relationship with the agricultural lifeline of America.

Maher, an erstwhile defender of the president, pointed out that the POTUS "wrote a lot of checks to farmers" during his presidency, but argued these payments were necessary only because Trump's trade policies, particularly tariffs, had "f-----" the agricultural industry by hurting soybean sales to China.

Known for his long-standing advocacy for rural workers and as a co-founder of Farm Aid, a dubious Mellencamp expressed surprise during the exchange on Maher's "Club Random" podcast.

“Huh?” the “Jack & Diane” singer replied.

“Trump wrote a lot of checks to farmers,” Maher said, adding, “because he f----- them often with like, tariffs and stuff.”

“He wanted to show China who’s boss, and who pays? It’s the people who sell soy beans to China,” Maher explained.

The impact of Trump’s policies on farmers is a highly debated topic involving significant economic shifts and government interventions.

Critics argue his trade wars and funding freezes have "screwed" the agricultural sector, acting like arsonists hawking fire extinguishers providing record-breaking bailouts to offset these losses.

The administration's 2025 tariffs on imports from China and Canada led to immediate retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products like pork, wheat, corn and soybeans.

Soybean farmers reported losing nearly all sales to China, their largest global buyer, as purchasers turned to competitors like Brazil and Argentina.

Input costs for farmers — including fertilizer, machinery parts, and steel for greenhouses — surged by as much as 15–25 percent due to import tariffs.

Last week, the Supreme Court ruled that the president lacked the authority to impose some of these sweeping tariffs by decree.

In December 2025, the Trump administration announced a $12 billion economic aid package for U.S. farmers to offset losses from trade disruptions and high production costs.

This "bridge" assistance is intended to support producers until new long-term agricultural policies take effect in late 2026.

The core of the current bailout is the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program that primarily supports row crop farmers (soybeans, corn, wheat, sorghum), and is capped at $155,000 per person or legal entity.

Mellencamp also told Maher about how he started Farm Aid to support people like the ones he grew up around; he launched the annual benefit concert in 1985 with legends Willie Nelson and Neil Young.

“All of us were naive enough to think that if we do this show, then the politicians will go ‘These guys have a good point. we need to help the small family farmer,'” Mellencamp said. “No. It’s going to take more than a f---in’ concert.”

Mellencamp, who said he met Trump at a Super Bowl game in the 1980s, has been a staunch critic of the 47th president and questioned his reliability, stating he "says one thing and does another.”

As a liberal-leaning artist, he has argued that Trump's policies hurt farmers and has criticized the former president's impact on American society.

Mellencamp released a politically-charged song, "Easy Target," just before Trump’s 2017 inauguration to address racial inequality and the Black Lives Matter movement.

In contrast to his 2017 refusal to perform at Trump’s inauguration, Mellencamp did perform at Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration celebration, titled "We Are One," held at the Lincoln Memorial.