唐纳德·特朗普总统对阿根廷经济的200亿美元救助在美国引发了危险信号，特别是在迫切需要帮助应对危机的美国农民中农作物危机由他与中国的贸易战引发。
阿根廷总统米勒周二在白宫会见了川普和包括财政部长贝森特在内的美国高级官员。
这次会议是在Bessent宣布200亿美元的金融生命线近一周之后举行的，其中包括与阿根廷央行的货币互换框架，旨在支撑阿根廷比索。
“我们只想看到阿根廷做得好，”特朗普在会议期间告诉记者。
细节仍不清楚
在上周的一篇X帖子中，Bessent表示，美国与阿根廷央行敲定了一笔200亿美元的互换额度，即一笔贷款，美国财政部将在阿根廷央行将美元兑换成比索。
贝森特说，人们的期望是，这些美元最终会被偿还。
Bessent还表示，美国上周直接购买了比索，但没有具体说明购买的数量。
截至周二，美国财政部尚未公布互换协议条款的任何细节，最终它向阿根廷央行提供的美元是美国纳税人的美元。
外交关系委员会(Council on Foreign Relations)高级研究员、前财政部官员布拉德·塞瑟(Brad Setser)对美国广播公司新闻(ABC News)表示:“你可以称之为紧急救助，也可以称之为救援，这是对一个否则就会耗尽储备的国家的信贷额度。”。
贝森特一再否认该协议是救助，称美国正在支持一个关键的南美盟友的经济改革，并推进美国在该地区的战略利益。
Bessent周三表示，美国正在研究为阿根廷提供另外200亿美元的生命线，由私人银行和主权财富基金提供资金。
“这是一个针对阿根廷即将到来的债务偿付的私营部门解决方案，许多银行对此感兴趣，许多主权基金也表示有兴趣参与其中，”贝森特说，在与印刷记者的笔和垫圆桌会议。财政部与美国广播公司新闻分享了部分文字记录。
美国财政部没有回应美国广播公司新闻部关于该交易更多信息的请求。
双方的农民和领导人都发表了意见
救助计划引发了农民、民主党人和一些共和党人的争议，他们质疑美国为什么要承诺数十亿美元来提振外国的经济，尤其是在成千上万的美国大豆农民正在遭受痛苦并需要帮助的时候。
在与美国的贸易战中，中国停止购买美国大豆。根据美国大豆协会的数据，中国是美国大豆的最大买家，在2023年和2024年购买了美国出口的50%以上。
虽然一些美国农民表示，他们担心破产和丧失抵押品赎回权，因为他们的损失，阿根廷和巴西的农民越来越多地向中国市场供应大豆。
内布拉斯加州种植大豆和玉米的农民本·斯特芬(Ben Steffen)周二在拖拉机上接受美国广播公司(ABC)采访时表示，美国正在“拯救我们在大豆生产领域的竞争对手”
“很明显，人们对市场不满意，我的邻居对救助阿根廷也不满意，”他说。
明尼苏达州农民达林·约翰逊(Darin Johnson)说，中国从阿根廷购买大豆满足了中国对大豆的需求，从而使美国在贸易谈判中失去了杠杆作用。
但他补充说，许多农民仍然支持特朗普，尽管有任何对政府某些政策的不满。
“我们将真诚地相信本届政府，我们将达成一项贸易协议，但我们没有时间了，”约翰逊说。“没有本届政府的一点帮助，我们还不知道会发生什么，仍然存在相当大的不确定性。”
爱荷华州农民瑞安·马夸特(Ryan Marquardt)周二告诉美国广播公司(ABC)新闻，对阿根廷的救助似乎与特朗普的“美国第一”愿景背道而驰。
“确实感觉你在支持你的竞争对手。这似乎与美国第一的意识形态相违背，”他说。“我看不出我们在那笔交易中有任何领先之处。”
民主党人指责白宫在经济动荡和不确定的时期忽视了农民和其他美国人。
“事实很清楚:特朗普把美国放在第二位，救助了另一个国家，同时抛弃了美国农民，”民主党全国委员会周一在一份新闻稿中说。
上个月，当阿根廷协议的消息传开时，爱荷华州共和党参议员查克·格拉斯利也在X邮报上批评了政府的优先事项。
他说:“为什么美国要帮助拯救阿根廷，而他们却夺走了美国大豆生产商的最大市场。“我们应该利用各种手段来帮助损害农业经济，美国代表在谈判中应该首先考虑农民。”
美国大豆协会主席、肯塔基州农民凯勒·拉格伦(Caleb Ragland)在9月份的一份声明中表示，对特朗普政府的“失望”是“压倒性的”。
“美国大豆价格正在下跌，收获正在进行，农民阅读的头条新闻不是与中国达成贸易协议，而是美国政府向阿根廷提供200亿美元的经济支持，而该国则降低大豆出口税，在短短两天内向中国出售20船阿根廷大豆，”拉格兰德说。
“当我们的竞争对手取代美国成为世界上最大的大豆进口市场时，农业经济正在遭受损失，”他补充道。
特朗普承诺帮助大豆农民，一度声称关税收入将用于在经济上帮助他们，但截至周二，这一提议尚未正式确定。
政府指责当前的联邦政府关门延迟了一揽子援助计划的推出。
总统还呼吁中国购买美国大豆，但毫无效果。
“特朗普总统承诺将美国农民放在第一位，他的政府与欧盟、日本和其他国家达成的每一项历史性贸易协定都包括前所未有的扩大美国农业出口的条款，”白宫发言人库什·德赛在给美国广播公司新闻的一份声明中说。
他补充说:“政府继续在贸易谈判中为美国农民争取利益，并继续致力于利用关税收入来支持因不公平的对外贸易做法而陷入困境的农民。”
特朗普表示，该协议有助于选举前的南美保守派盟友
对备受争议的阿根廷总统来说，救助阿根廷正值政治上的关键时刻。
米勒因其自由主义信仰而成为头条新闻，并经常被保守派领导人和人物看到，包括埃隆·马斯克，他在今年的CPAC上加入了他，并给他一把后来成为著名的模拟电锯，称赞马斯克的DOGE cuts。
川普经常称赞米勒，支持他的领导，称赞他在阿根廷的右翼和削减成本议程。
“他们有一个伟大的领导人，”特朗普周二在与米勒会晤前告诉记者。
然而，据路透社报道，这位55岁的老人在阿根廷10月26日的选举中面临着严峻的竞争，因为他在过去几个月中一直受到不支持率上升的打击。
美国的协议寻求在阿根廷选民前往投票站之际稳定比索。
“我们正在帮助一种伟大的哲学接管一个伟大的国家...我们希望他成功，”川普周二表示，并补充说，如果米勒成功，南美其他国家可能会在政治上效仿它。
特朗普后来表示，货币互换取决于米勒在该国即将举行的选举中的成功。
“如果他输了，我们不会对阿根廷慷慨，”特朗普说。“如果他不赢，我们就走了，”他说。
当被问及货币互换如何成为“美国第一”的政策——如果只是为了在即将到来的选举中帮助米勒——时，川普说“不”。
贝桑特星期二回应了总统的观点，声称美国正在利用其经济实力在南美洲创造和平。
“这是未来的希望，”贝森特说。“我认为，凭借美国给予他们的桥梁和强有力的政策，阿根廷可以再次变得伟大。”
贝森特的金融同事受到审查
由于阿根廷与他在金融界的一些前同事的关系，Bessent也一直处于尴尬的境地。
据报道，曾与Bessent合作过的亿万富翁Rob Citrone在拉丁美洲和阿根廷有大量投资证券交易委员会备案.
香橼和他的对冲基金探索资本管理公司的发言人拒绝对美国广播公司新闻发表评论。
亿万富翁斯坦利·德鲁肯米勒是贝森特的老朋友，他公开表示在米勒当选后投资了阿根廷。德鲁肯米勒没有立即回复美国广播公司新闻评论。
有报道称，Bessent曾与Citrone讨论过阿根廷问题，财政部没有回复记者的置评请求，也没有回复记者对该交易的其他置评请求。
Bessent上周在美国消费者新闻与商业频道接受采访时否认这笔交易与他的金融同事有任何联系，他说“我们正在帮助有兴趣的美国富人的比喻是错误的。”
“我们正在做的是维护美国在西半球的战略利益，”他补充说。
What to know about the Trump administration's $20B bailout for Argentina
President Donald Trump's $20 billion bailout of Argentina's economy has raised red flags in the U.S., especially among American farmers desperate for help dealing with acrop crisistriggered by his trade war with China.
Argentina's President Javier Milei met with Trump and top U.S. officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Tuesday at the White House.
The meeting came nearly a week after Bessent announced a $20 billion financial lifeline that included a currency swap framework with Argentina's central bank aimed at propping up the Argentine peso.
"We just want to see Argentina do well," Trump told reporters during the meeting.
Details still unclear
In an X post last week, Bessent said the U.S. finalized a $20 billion swap line, or a loan, with Argentina’s central bank, where the U.S. Treasury will exchange dollars for pesos.
The expectation, Bessent has said, is that those dollars will eventually be paid back.
Bessent also said last week the U.S. directly purchased pesos, without specifying how much.
The Treasury Department had not published any details about the terms of the swap agreement as of Tuesday and ultimately the dollars it's offering to Argentina's central bank are U.S. taxpayer dollars.
"You can call it a bailout, you can call it a rescue, it is a credit line to a country that otherwise would be out of reserves," Brad Setser, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and former Treasury official, told ABC News.
Bessent has repeatedly denied that the deal is a bailout, saying the U.S. is supporting the economic reforms of a key South American ally and advancing U.S. strategic interests in the region.
Bessent said Wednesday that the U.S. is looking into another $20 billion lifeline for Argentina, funded by private banks and sovereign wealth funds.
"It is a private sector solution to Argentina's upcoming debt payments, and many banks are interested in it, and many sovereign funds have expressed interest in being part of it,"Bessent said during a pen-and-pad roundtable with print reporters. The Treasury Department shared a portion of the transcript with ABC News.
The Treasury Department has not responded to ABC News requests for more information on the deal.
Farmers, leaders on both sides sound off
The bailout has sparked controversy with farmers, Democrats and some Republicans questioning why the U.S. would commit billions to boost the economy of a foreign country, especially when thousands of American soybean farmers are suffering and in need of help.
China stopped purchasing American soybeans amid the trade war with the United States. According to the American Soybean Association, China is the largest buyer of American soybeans, purchasing more than 50 percent of U.S. exports in 2023 and 2024.
While some American farmers have said they are afraid of bankruptcies and foreclosures because of their losses, Argentina and Brazil's farmers are increasingly supplying Chinese markets -- with soybeans.
Ben Steffen, a Nebraska soybean and corn farmer, who spoke to ABC News from his tractor Tuesday, said the U.S. is "bailing out our competitor in the soybean production business."
"Clearly, people are not happy about the markets, and my neighbors are not happy about bailing out Argentina," he said.
Minnesota farmer Darin Johnson said China's purchase of soybeans from Argentina has cost the U.S. leverage in trade talks, by satisfying China's demand for the crop.
But he added that many farmers still support Trump, despite anyfrustrations with some of the administration's policies.
"We're going to put it to good faith in this administration that we are going to get a trade deal, but we are running out of time," Johnson said. "Without a little help from this administration, which we don't know what is going on yet, there is still a fair amount of uncertainty."
Ryan Marquardt, an Iowa farmer, told ABC News on Tuesday that the bailout for Argentina seems to run counter to Trump's "America First" vision.
"It does feel like you are propping up your competition. It does seem counterintuitive to the America First ideology," he said. "I don't see any place where we come out ahead from that transaction."
Democrats have accused the White House of neglecting farmers and other Americans at a time of economic turmoil and uncertainty.
"The truth is clear: Trump put America second, bailing out another country while abandoning American farmers," the Democratic National Committee said in a press release Monday.
Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley also criticized the priorities of the administration in an X post last month when word of the Argentine deal was making the rounds.
"Why would USA help bail out Argentina while they take American soybean producers' biggest market, he said. "We shld use leverage at every turn to help hurting farm economy Family farmers shld be top of mind in negotiations by representatives of USA."
The American Soybean Association's president, Kentucky farmer Caleb Ragland, said in a statement in September that "frustration" with the Trump administration was "overwhelming."
"U.S. soybean prices are falling, harvest is underway, and farmers read headlines not about securing a trade agreement with China, but that the U.S. government is extending $20 billion in economic support to Argentina while that country drops its soybean export taxes to sell 20 shiploads of Argentine soybeans to China in just two days," Ragland said.
"The farm economy is suffering while our competitors supplant the United States in the biggest soybean import market in the world," he added.
Trump has promised to help the soybean farmers, at one point claiming that money from tariffs would be used to assist them financially, but no such proposal had been formalized as of Tuesday.
The administration has blamed the current federal government shutdown for delaying the rollout of an assistance package.
The president has also called on China to purchase U.S. soybeans -- to no avail.
"President Trump pledged to put American farmers first, and every historic trade agreement that his Administration has struck with the EU, Japan, and others includes unprecedented provisions to expand American agricultural exports," White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement to ABC News.
"The Administration continues to fight for American farmers in trade negotiations, and also remains committed to using tariff revenue to support farmers who have been left in the lurch due to unfair foreign trade practices," he added.
Trump says deal helps South American conservative ally before election
The Argentine bailout comes at a politically crucial time for its controversial president.
Milei has made headlines for his libertarian beliefs and has frequently been seen with conservative leaders and figures, including Elon Musk, who he joined at this year's CPAC and gave him a what became a famous mock chainsaw, praising Musk's DOGE cuts.
Trump has frequently praised Milei and backed his leadership, praising his right-wing, cost-cutting agenda in Argentina.
"They have a great leader," Trump told reporters just before his meeting with Milei on Tuesday.
However, the 55-year-old is facing serious competition in Argentina's Oct. 26 election as he has been hit with rising disapproval ratings over the last few months, according to Reuters.
The U.S. deal seeks to stabilize the peso just as Argentine voters head to the polls.
"We're helping a great philosophy take over a great country ... we want him to succeed," Trump said Tuesday, adding that if Milei is successful, other countries in South America could follow its lead politically.
Trump later said the currency swap is dependent on Milei's success during the country's upcoming elections.
"If he loses, we are not going to be generous with Argentina," Trump said. "If he doesn't win, we're gone,"he said.
Trump said "no" when asked how the currency swap was an "America First" policy -- if it was just to help Milei in the upcoming election.
Bessent echoed the president's sentiment Tuesday, claiming that the U.S. is using its economic strength to create peace in South America.
"It's hope for the future," Bessent said. "I think that with the bridge the U.S. is giving them and with the strong policies, that Argentina can be great again."
Bessent's finance colleagues come under scrutiny
Bessent has also been on the hot seat over Argentina's ties to some of his former colleagues in the finance world.
Rob Citrone, a billionaire who once worked with Bessent, has sizable investments in Latin America and Argentina, according toSEC filings.
A spokesperson for Citrone and Discovery Capital Management, his hedge fund, declined to comment to ABC News.
Billionaire Stanley Druckenmiller -- a longtime friend of Bessent -- has publicly said he invested in Argentina after Milei's election. Druckenmiller did not immediately return messages to ABC News for comment.
The Treasury Department did not respond to a message seeking comment about reports that Bessent had discussed Argentina with Citrone, or additional requests for comment on the deal.
Bessent denied the deal had any connection to his finance colleagues in a CNBC interview last week where he said the "trope that we're helping out wealthy Americans with interest down there couldn't be more false."
"What we're doing is maintaining a U.S. strategic interest in the Western Hemisphere," he added.
