Warning: A new Trump hoax has been dropped. President-elect Donald Trump recently completed an extensive interview with Time magazine, the same publication that named him Person of the Year for a second time. The wide-ranging interview touched upon food prices. As usual, left-leaning media outlets, personalities, and politicians took a snippet of the article out of context and ran with it to the finish line. But was it a touchdown or a fumble? Considering that most Americans have very little trust in the media, isn’t the answer obvious?
The New Trump Hoax
Vera Bergengruen, a national security reporter at The Wall Street Journal and former Time journalist, greased the Trump hoax wheels on the social media platform X. She posted on the website:
"Trump in September 2024: 'Vote Trump and grocery prices will come tumbling down.'
"Trump in December 2024: 'It's hard to bring things down once they're up. You know, it's very hard.'"
Other popular left-wing accounts on X, be it the Krassenstein brothers and Harry Sisson, participated in spreading this partial quote. It eventually made its way to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who claimed on the website that Trump will not try to lower food prices. "Candidate Trump promised to lower grocery prices, but now it seems he isn't even going to try," she wrote. "While champagne corks pop at Mar-a-Lago, President-elect Trump says that he can't really lower grocery prices because it's 'very hard.' Sad. It’s the start of a broken promise."
Of course, social media users can often be mistaken, which is then quickly corrected by the stellar Community Notes team. As usual, it did not prevent the mainstream media from perpetuating the latest Trump hoax. Here is a list of some of the outlets reporting a part of the story:
CNN: "Trump admits bringing down grocery prices will be 'very hard.'”
MSNBC: "Trump promised to bring down grocery prices, now he says it will be hard to do."
USA Today: "Trump lied about food prices. Now he says it's too 'hard' to bring down costs."
Vanity Fair: "Trump Promised No Wars and Lower Prices. Now He's Walking That Back."
NBC News: "Trump says it will be 'hard' to bring grocery prices down. Here's why."
Rolling Stone: "Trump Is Starting to Walk Back His Vow to Bring Down Grocery Prices."
If news consumers read only the headlines, and studies suggest that many viewers do, they would get the impression that the president-elect is reneging on his campaign promise. So, what did he say? Here is the full quote from his Time interview:
"Look, they got them up. I’d like to bring them down. It’s hard to bring things down once they’re up. You know, it’s very hard. But I think that they will. I think that energy is going to bring them down. I think a better supply chain is going to bring them down. You know, the supply chain is still broken. It’s broken.” (emphasis added)
The media never learn. During the 2024 election campaign trail, networks and publications touted the Firing Squad Hoax and the Bloodbath Hoax. Vice President Kamala Harris even espoused the widely debunked Very Fine People Hoax. What are the odds the establishment will manufacture another hoax over the next four years? The betting markets should have an indicator.
Can Trump Fix Groceries?
For many Americans, their visit to the local supermarket might as well be a trip to the luxury car dealer. Grocery prices have spiraled out of control, rising by 22% since January 2021. Costs for other day-to-day items have increased at a higher level, from eggs (128%) to beef (40%). Food inflation has been so immense that many households have taken on credit card debt and even used Buy Now, Pay Later programs to cover their expenses.
Trump has stated he intends to “frack, frack, frack” and “drill, baby, drill” to help bring food prices down. This is a worthwhile endeavor since energy prices can raise food costs. When farmers, transportation companies, fertilizer producers, and supermarkets have to pay more for fuel and other energy products and services, a bread loaf, a pound of chicken, and a basket of kale and spinach become more expensive.
It also does not help when the Federal Reserve expands the money supply by 40%, diminishing Americans’ purchasing power and requiring more units of currency to pay for goods and services.
As Liberty Nation News has reported, the incoming administration plans to adopt an all-of-the-above approach to the nation’s energy challenges: coal, crude oil, natural gas, nuclear, and renewables. But whether the fossil-fuel industry will respond to deregulation and accelerated permitting remains to be seen, especially since the oil and gas sector is more responsive to supply-demand dynamics.
While there is little chance that household food bills will revert to pre-pandemic levels, returning to an era of flatlining food inflation would be a welcome relief for low- and middle-income families after the inflation bomb reset prices.
