(Radio Iowa) – Former President Donald Trump says John Deere will face steep tariffs on machinery made in Mexico if he’s reelected.  “Just notifying John Deere right now, if you do that, we’re putting a 200% tariff on anything you want to sell into the United States,” Trump said. In June, Deere announced it would shift production of skid loaders and compact track loaders from its plant in Dubuque to facilities in Mexico by the end of 2026.

“They think they’re going to make product cheaper in Mexico and then sell it in for the same prices they did before,” Trump said, “make a lot of money by getting rid of our labor and our jobs.” Since March, Deere has laid off about 24-hundred workers at its plants in Ankeny, Dubuque, Ottumwa, Waterloo and the Quad Cities AND at its research and business offices in Dubuque, Johnston, Urbandale and Moline, Illinois.

Deere has said it’s responding to market conditions, as lower crop prices and higher interest rates have depressed demand for its equipment. Deere has not responded directly to Trump’s comments, but a company spokesperson said it is sometimes necessary to move less complex operations to other locations in order to position Deere’s highly value-added activities in U-S factories.