U.S. President Donald Trump’s response to Fox News host Bret Baier about grocery prices has earned him the label “insane” by social media users.
During the segment, Baier read a message from Regina Foley, a three-time Trump voter from Greensboro, North Carolina.
“I want the Republicans to keep control of Congress in 2026, but something has to be done fast! I don't see the best economy right now. Wall Street numbers do not reflect Main Street money. Please do something, President Trump,” Baier quoted Foley.
Highlights
- Trump’s claim that grocery prices are down except for beef has been widely debunked and called out as false by fact-checkers and official data.
- Grocery prices rose 2.7% over the past year, with increases in coffee, beef, bananas, and other staples, according to U.S. Labor Department data.
- Trump asked the Justice Department to investigate meatpackers for alleged collusion and price fixing amid soaring beef prices.
- Social media and critics mock Trump’s grocery price comments as out of touch and insane.
A three-time MAGA voter begged Trump to ‘do something’ about rising grocery prices
Image credits: Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images
“So, I guess what do you say to Regina and people like her?” Baier asked Trump.
Trump responded, “Well, I do say this, beef we have to get down. I think of groceries, you know, it’s an old-fashioned word, but it’s a beautiful word.”
He went on to claim, “We’ve got prices way down.”
The brief exchange quickly went viral across social media, where viewers mocked Trump’s comments as out of touch.
“He has never stepped into a grocery store. He has no clue and doesn’t care,” one user wrote.
Another said, “God, this is actually insane.”
Image credits: Fox News/YouTube
“When I win, I will immediately bring prices down, starting on Day One,” Trump \ declared in an August 2024 news conference while campaigning for his presidency.
More than a year later, grocery prices continue to rise despite his administration’s repeated claims that inflation is under control.
Trump has \ claimed that “groceries are down except for beef,” a statement fact-checked by CNN and found to be false.
“Groceries are down except for the beef, which I’ll get down too,” he said in a speech last week in Tokyo.
In a recent CBS interview, he said, “[Grocery prices] went up under Biden. Right now, they’re going down. Other than beef, which we’re working on, which we can solve very quickly.”
According to U.S. Labor Department data, grocery prices increased by 2.7% over the past year, with notable price increases in coffee, beef, and bananas.
Food economists say tariffs and immigration policies under Trump’s second term are key factors behind the increases.
Trump claimed inflation is under control despite contrary data from the U.S. Labor Department
Image credits: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
David Ortega, a professor of food economics at Michigan State University, told the BBC that Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration, especially in the farming sector, where 40% of workers are estimated to be undocumented, possibly had an impact on prices.
“As you know, farmers and companies have to raise wages in order to attract more labor. But trying to quantify those impacts in terms of price increase is almost impossible at the moment,” Ortega said.
Ortega also attributed a part of the price increase to Trump’s sweeping tariffs. For instance, a third of coffee consumed in the US comes from Brazil, which is subject to a 50% tariff.
Image credits: Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images
Notably, the price of eggs has decreased from $4.93 in January and $6.23 in March to $3.49 a dozen. But the price of other categories, such as meats, poultry, fish, and eggs, nonalcoholic beverages, cereals and bakery products, and fruits and vegetables, has increased.
“The president’s claims about grocery prices don’t align with the government’s own data,” Ortega told CNN.
“While it’s true that beef prices have risen to record highs, they’re far from the only category seeing increases … The reality is that prices for many everyday grocery items have increased in recent months, and tariff-related cost increases are now feeding through to consumers.”
On Friday, Trump asked the Department of Justice to investigate meat-packing companies, accusing them of contributing to higher prices through “Collusion, Price Fixing, and Price Manipulation.”
Trump’s claim that grocery prices are down except for beef has been debunked
Image credits: Tom Williams/Getty Images
Trump’s latest move shifts attention away from ranchers, whom he previously urged to lower cattle prices.
Four corporations dominate over 80% of the U.S. beef processing market: Tyson, JBS, Cargill, and National Beef. These companies have faced prior lawsuits and accusations of price collusion, including from McDonald’s.
Late-night host and Trump critic Seth Meyers also joined in the criticism. On Late Night with Seth Meyers, the comedian joked, “Trump has no idea what regular people are going through and he doesn’t care.”
Meyers referred to the Democrats’ sweeping victories in local and mayoral elections last week, attributing these wins partly to people being unhappy with the state of the economy.
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Zohran Mamdani won New York City’s mayoral race, Abigail Spanberger became Virginia’s first female governor, and Mikie Sherrill was elected governor of New Jersey.
Democrats also scored major wins nationwide, taking Georgia statewide seats for the first time since 2006, holding Pennsylvania courts, and gaining in Virginia, New Jersey, and Mississippi.
They also flipped key local offices in cities like Orlando, Syracuse, Charlotte, and Georgetown.
“If you do look inside the numbers [election results], you’ll see that it wasn’t just anti-Trump backlash that fueled Democrats’ wins. Voters are also furious about the economy,” Meyers said.
Image credits: The White House/Flickr
“And voters are right—grocery prices are going up, everything from coffee to bananas to beef. Soon it’s going to get so bad that Trump’s going to start pushing Americans toward vegan options,” Meyers joked.