We’re way past Day 1: Trump promised to lower inflation but 10 months later prices are still increasing
The 47th US President promised a lot of things that he hasn’t delivered on so far.
Who’d have thunk it? It turns out that Trump’s commitment to lower prices for ordinary Americans was all talk and no trousers.
When Donald Trump campaigned for the presidency in 2024, one of his many promises was to lower grocery prices immediately upon taking office. Alas, that pledge has not materialised, along with many others he seems to have forgotten about as he plunges the United States into authoritarian rule.
The data tells a crystal clear story of how Trump’s economic plan is going: over the 12 months leading into July 2025, food prices in the U.S. rose by about 2.9 percent — steeper than the broader inflation rate of 2.7 percent. Meanwhile, core inflation rose near 3.1 percent.
A significant factor behind persistent food price increases lies in Trump’s magical idea of tariffs. Some of Trump’s trade policies, initially delayed or contested, have now taken full force. These new or increased import duties have pushed up costs for foods that rely on international supply chains; as expected by every single economic expert, they are costs that grocers pass on to shoppers.
Meat, especially beef and veal, has been a particular pressure point since Trump’s return to power. According to USDA findings, retail prices in that category rose for a seventh consecutive month between June and July 2025, climbing 2.5 percent in that span. Over the past year, beef and veal are up an astonishing 11.3 percent, and forecasts suggest they’ll end 2025 nearly 9.9 percent higher than the prior year.
As for eating out, that’s also getting more expensive. Grocery prices rose about 0.1 percent month over month, but restaurant prices grew around 0.3 percent in the same period. Year over year, groceries have crept up 2.2 percent while food-services jumped 3.9 percent.
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Other products aren’t immune, either: sugar, eggs, nonalcoholic beverages, and sweets are all expected to see growth above their historic rates as the president ploughs on with his plans. Trump: Making America Expensive Again.
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