President Donald Trump announced a $12 billion aid package on Monday to help American farmers hit hard by his ongoing trade wars.
The plan was unveiled during a roundtable meeting attended by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and several corn, wheat and potato growers, per The Express.
The meeting was meant to reassure producers reeling from tariffs, inflation and market turmoil.
But what grabbed the internet’s attention wasn’t the numbers — it was what was picked up on a hot mic afterwards.
Blue‑slip hot mic moment steals headlines
What really triggered a firestorm wasn’t the farm money — it was a brief off‑the‑cuff remark.
As Trump was leaving the roundtable, the camera kept rolling. The hot mic picked him saying “blue slips,” then “You know I cannot appoint anybody,” before an unidentified voice said, “We’ll have a talk.”
That could be a veiled reference to the long‑standing Senate tradition that gives home‑state senators veto power over federal judicial nominations.
Under the practice, both senators from a nominee’s state receive a “blue slip,” and they can support or block nominees — or just stay silent.
Many social media users zeroed in on the moment, interpreting it as an unguarded expression of frustration over blocked appointments.
Aid package to support struggling farmers
Up to $11 billion of the announced aid is earmarked for row crop farmers under the Agriculture Department’s “Farmer Bridge Assistance” program.
The remainder will go to growers of crops not covered by the bridge program. According to the White House, funds are intended to give farmers more certainty when marketing their current harvest and planning for next year’s.
The support targets those who have been squeezed by trade tensions, inflation and other market disruptions.
Particularly hard hit have been soybean and sorghum farmers — two crops heavily exported to China, the world’s biggest buyer of U.S. soybeans.
Fallout for U.S. attorney picks and mounting frustration
The hot mic clip comes just days after Trump publicly criticized Republicans for letting the “blue slip” tradition stall his U.S. attorney picks. In a widely shared video on X, he said: “You know, I can’t appoint anybody,” adding, “I can’t appoint anybody. Everybody I’ve appointed, their time has expired. Then they’re in default, then we’re losing.”
The ire was directed especially at lawmakers who failed to confirm his nominees — most notably in the case of former personal lawyer Alina Habba.
Habba had been serving as acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey, but a federal appeals court ruled her tenure unlawful after local senators blocked her confirmation.
A panel of judges attempted to replace her, only to have the replacement fired — then reinstated — creating chaos in New Jersey’s federal justice system.
The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia slammed the situation, writing that “the citizens of New Jersey and the loyal employees in the U.S. Attorney’s Office deserve some clarity and stability.” Habba resigned Monday, but the mess remains a flashpoint, per Newsweek.
Trump told reporters: “You've got a blue slip thing that's horrible. It’s a horrible thing. It makes it impossible to appoint a judge or a U.S. attorney. And it's a shame. And the Republicans should be ashamed of themselves that they allow this to go on.”
He added: “I hope that somebody speaks to Senator Grassley about doing something about the blue slip because I'm telling you, John, I put up great people, top people, highest education, the best lawyers to be like U.S. attorney and both senators, it only takes one, but if they're Democrat senators, they say, 'We're not going to approve it.'”
Then Trump warned: “I guess I just have to keep appointing people for three months and then just appoint another one, another one. It’s a very sad situation. We’re losing tremendous, we're losing a lot of great people.”