In a baffling address that even avowed allies known as “pointless” on Wednesday night time, President Donald Trump bragged that he was “bringing these excessive costs down” and “bringing them down very quick.”
There’s only one teeny, tiny drawback with that: Actuality.
The precise story of meals costs and affordability in 2025 doesn’t actually line up with Trump’s claims, in line with November data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) launched on Thursday morning.
The BLS report discovered that “the index for meals elevated 2.6% during the last 12 months,” with the index for meat, poultry, fish and eggs rising 4.7%, nonalcoholic drinks rising 4.3%, cereals and bakery merchandise rising by 1.9%, and fruit and greens rising 0.1% during the last 12 months,
The index for dairy and associated merchandise did lower 1.6% over the identical interval, per the report.
As CNBC reported, there are additionally clear will increase on necessities that Individuals are completely feeling: The inflation price for raw beef roasts was about 21% for November, and low and banana costs had been up 19% and seven% from the earlier 12 months.
This new information builds on what shoppers have been expressing all year long. Information from a Politico poll conducted by Public First from November discovered that fifty% of Individuals mentioned that they wrestle to pay for meals.
The Century Foundation additionally discovered earlier this month that amongst 1,426 registered voters they surveyed, 2 in 3 had been switching to cheaper groceries or shopping for much less meals to make up for the prices. This disproportionately affected working-class Individuals, who’ve decrease salaries on common.
“Much more regarding is the variety of individuals skipping meals, with over one-third of respondents (34%) saying they skipped a meal prior to now 12 months,” the TCF report acknowledged. “This consists of 44% of Black Individuals (in comparison with 32 p.c of white respondents) and 54% of adults below age 30.”
The Affordability Disaster Is Actual, Whether or not Trump Likes It Or Not
Within the final 12 months, Trump’s ideas on the affordability disaster have assorted: Whereas grocery costs had been a central a part of his marketing campaign, he referred to the disaster as a “hoax” on completely different events whereas additionally taking credit score for fixing it.
“Walmart simply introduced that Costs for a Thanksgiving Dinner is now down 25% since below Sleepy/Crooked Joe Biden, in 2024,” he posted on Truth Social in November, claiming credit score for seeming improvements around Thanksgiving prices (that was principally only a particular Walmart deal). “AFFORDABILITY is a Republican Stronghold. Hopefully, Republicans will use this irrefutable reality!”
But, he’s additionally continued to say that Democrats are “making up” the numbers.
“I don’t wish to hear in regards to the affordability as a result of proper now, we’re a lot much less,” Trump previously told reporters in November, reportedly “irate” that Democrats had been largely seen as proudly owning the difficulty of affordability extra successfully than Republicans. “Our vitality prices are means down. Our groceries are means down,” he continued. “Every part is means down, and the press doesn’t report it. The press reviews regardless of the con individuals say.”
Regardless of the narrative Trump has touted — that this is a matter he has already mounted and the press is just not speaking about it — reviews present that Individuals aren’t fairly shopping for that line.
That aforementioned Politico ballot additionally discovered that almost all Individuals (55%) maintain the Trump administration chargeable for the rise in prices — together with 22% of his personal voters.
Although his monitor report for dissent amongst his ranks is to call them “stupid” or “foolish” for not going together with no matter he says, he can’t gaslight Individuals out of the truth they face on the grocery checkout line.
