American farmers will be able to keep their estates in the family because of the recently approved tax bill’s reduction of the death tax, President Donald Trump told the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual meeting on Monday in Nashville, Tennessee.

Trump’s comments about the reduced estate tax — also known as the “death tax” — drew a standing ovation at the Farm Bureau’s national gathering, and it was a boast Trump seemed to relish making.

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Trump kept perhaps a larger elephant in the room — agricultural trade with China and Mexico, which the farmers heavily support — lower in the speech, assuring the farmers they would “get a better deal” from the North American Free Trade Agreement.

The address Monday was the first by a U.S. president to the group since 1992, and Trump stressed things he has recently signed into law, including tax cuts and deregulation, that he said would propel the U.S. farming community.

The estate tax was especially unpopular with farmers, who often seek to give their sizable agricultural properties to children. The death tax was not imposed on the first $5.5 million in assets, such as bonds and property, but Trump and the Republican-led Congress doubled that threshold to $11 million.

But trade with Mexico, in particular, is likely on the minds of farmers, too. American farmers send about $2.6 billion of corn to Mexico every year, a practice that could be jeopardized if Trump tears up NAFTA.

NAFTA is a joint free trade treaty, signed by Canada, Mexico, and the United States. It was passed into law in 1993, but the president can withdraw from it. Mexico buys about $18 billion in agricultural products from the United States each year, according to The Des Moines Register.

Many farmers want trade to be expanded, not restricted. The Farm Bureau supported the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), from which Trump withdrew soon after taking office last year. Still, the president assured the farming officials that the ongoing negotiations with Canada and Mexico would get a “better deal” for U.S. farmers.

“On NAFTA, I am working very hard to get a better deal for our country and our farmers, and for our manufacturers.”

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“To level the playing field for our great American exporters … we are reviewing all of our trade agreements to make sure they are fair and reciprocal,” said Trump to applause. “On NAFTA, I am working very hard to get a better deal for our country and our farmers, and for our manufacturers. It’s under negotiation as we speak.”

Trump also spoke of adding better internet connectivity to rural regions, something he hopes will increase job attraction to such communities. Trump further said he would tackle the opioid epidemic, which has been having a huge impact on rural communities.

Overall, Trump was warmly received; he then closed by declaring that “farm country is God’s country.”

PoliZette White House writer Jim Stinson can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter.