'We had been conned': Heartland voters are having a change of heart

Systemic Error Podcast · Sep 30, 2026 · 4m

(REUTERS)

What happened

AlterNet published commentary by Ben Palen, a fifth-generation farmer and agriculture consultant, who says several farmers he spoke with recently—including some who voted for Donald Trump in 2024 and as early as 2016—now believe they “had been conned.” Palen describes their change of heart as a response to what they see as national moral decline, damaged international trust, reckless spending and threats to agricultural markets.

The piece does not identify the farmers, quantify how many changed their views or establish that Heartland voters broadly are shifting. It…