PETA is rubbing their hands with glee right now. Ever since Donald Trump‘s second inauguration, economists have been sounding the alarm and warning that your wallet is about to take a beating. Unexpected tariff charges have already left many seriously out of pocket, but now it seems groceries (and specifically meat) are skyrocketing in price.
Over on X, user @aintscarylarry reported that the prices for his groceries are “starting to scare the s**t out of me”. He reports that he not only paid $6 for a bag of chips, but that beef has climbed to a staggering “18 bucks a pound”. As he probably rightly concludes: “we are in some deep, deep s**t people”.
The prices at the grocery store are starting to scare the shit out of me. Six bucks for a bag of chips. Beef: 18 bucks a pound. All produce is at least a dollar more. And all of Assface’s stupid fucking tariffs haven’t even kicked in yet. We are in some deep, deep shit, people.
—Scary Larry
(@aintscarylarry) August 17, 2025
Replies appear to confirm this, with one user posting an image of beef in a New York store at $21.99 per pound, and another showing a picture of a premium ribeye at an astonishing $54.99 per pound:
He sure did. Grocery prices are rising rapidly despite what he says
— C F (@crf1975) August 18, 2025
WOW!!!
— Denise Beaudoin(@pearlypoo3) August 18, 2025
“I will immediately bring prices down”
It’s worth noting that throughout his 2024 campaign, Trump repeatedly and fiercely beat the drum that only he could lower grocery prices for average Americans. In Aug. 2024, he insisted: “When I win, I will immediately bring prices down.”, in Nov. he said: “A vote for Trump means your groceries will be cheaper”, and, after winning, promised:
“I won on groceries. Very simple word, groceries. Like almost—you know, who uses the word? I started using the word—the groceries. When you buy apples, when you buy bacon, when you buy eggs, they would double and triple the price over a short period of time, and I won an election based on that. We’re going to bring those prices way down.”
MAGA is attempting to defend Trump by arguing that the inflation of grocery prices vastly increased during the Biden administration. That’s correct, but Trump has been in office for over six months now, and despite his multiple promises and vows to fix this, the problem has only worsened, and prices are likely to rise further still.
Fixing the beef problem won’t be easy. There are currently fewer cows in the United States than there have been since 1951, a series of climate-induced droughts have dried out pastures, and – oh, hi Mr President – the 50% tariff on Brazilian beef imports has been passed on to consumers like you.
All of which adds up to a perfect storm of misery for any steak-loving American. But, as far as economic policy goes, the message from the White House right now is essentially ordering you to give up beef and either go vegetarian or switch to cheaper meats.
