President Donald Trump recently said that “inflation has been defeated.” But Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and multiple economic reports suggest otherwise, pointing to ongoing price hikes on everyday essentials like groceries and energy.
Groceries And Energy Are Still Getting More Expensive
“Really?” Sanders wrote in a recent post on X, responding to Trump's inflation claim. “Compared to last year, vegetables are up 38%, coffee is up 21%, beef is up 14% & natural gas is up 13.8%.”
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Sanders also warned that health insurance premiums could rise dramatically, writing, “Thanks to Trump, unless we stop it, health premiums will be going up 75%, on average, for 20 million Americans.”
“Food prices are top of mind for consumers and people across the country. It's dominating the conversation across kitchen tables,” Michigan State University food economist David Ortega told CNN recently.
Coffee prices, in particular, have surged 20.9% over the past year, with a 3.6% spike just in August, driven in part by new 50% tariffs on imports from Brazil, CNN reports. Other fresh produce is also more expensive. Apple and lettuce prices each rose 3.5% in August, and tomato prices jumped 4.5%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Beef prices went up 2.7% last month and are now 13.9% higher than a year ago.
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Trump Administration Policies In The Spotlight
Economists say Trump's tariffs and immigration policies are a key part of the problem. According to the Yale Budget Lab, tariffs are now at their highest levels since 1935 and could result in food prices staying up 2.5% long-term.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, undocumented immigrant workers make up around 42% of U.S. farm labor. Amid immigration raids, they are reportedly leaving the workforce. This has left many crops unharvested and raised labor costs, fueling higher food prices.
“If you're thinking of a new orchard, greenhouse, or warehouse, you wouldn't do that now because you would not get workers,” Tufts University Professor of Food Policy and Economics William Masters told CNN.
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Despite Trump saying that energy costs are down, the average household energy bill increased from $263 in August 2024 to $282 last month, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Electricity alone is up 6.2%, and natural gas rose 13.8%, according to the latest federal data.
“Grocery prices are obviously not down,” American Enterprise Institute Director of Economic Policy Studies Michael Strain told CBS News. “Inflation has not been defeated—at all. Inflation is still above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target. It looks to me like inflation is actually re-accelerating.”
Despite a strong stock market and modest wage growth for blue-collar workers, everyday essentials like food and energy continue to rise in price. And for Sanders, that directly contradicts Trump's assertion that the inflation fight is over.
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