Since U.S. President Donald Trump’s return to the White House, he has put the squeeze on trading partners from Canada to Cambodia.

But one U.S. trading partner seems to be getting preferential treatment, and Americans are starting to notice.

On Wednesday, Politico reported that the Trump administration is seeking to quadruple the tariff-free allowance on Argentine beef imports to 80,000 tonnes, an amount so large that there are doubts whether Argentina could even fill it.

Trump first floated the idea during a chat with reporters on Air Force One on Oct. 19, saying it would help to lower consumer prices.

As anger builds in the U.S. over the apparent favouritism shown to Argentina, Republican lawmakers from cattle-ranching states are breaking ranks to criticize the moves openly on social media, as are pro-Trump influencers.

The issue has been picked up by the small but growing cohort of Republican legislators who have lately been marking differences with the president, including Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green and Rep. Thomas Massie from Kentucky. It also quickly became fodder in an ongoing feud between Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Trump's response falls flat

It all led Trump to respond in a Truth Social post that suggested American ranchers weren't sufficiently grateful for all he's done for them.

"The Cattle Ranchers, who I love, don’t understand that the only reason they are doing so well, for the first time in decades, is because I put Tariffs on cattle coming into the