COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Ohio’s Republican governor is blasting President Donald Trump’s tariff battles, which have left some farmers at the annual Ohio State Fair feeling less than festive.

Gov. John Kasich says Trump’s imposition of tariffs on products from such allies as Canada under national security grounds was “completely absurd,” and that now the president is resorting to “farm welfare” when U.S. farmers want trade. The frequent Trump critic and 2016 rival for the GOP presidential nomination spoke as the 12-day fair opened in Columbus.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Tuesday announced a $12 billion, three-part plan to borrow money from the U.S. Treasury to pay farmers hurt by the trade battles with China, Mexico, Canada and the European Union.