What Happened to Making America Affordable Again?

“Starting on day one, we will end inflation and make America affordable again,” Donald Trump said on the campaign trail. Three months in, are American families seeing relief—or just more economic turmoil?

Understanding voters’ frustrations with high inflation and the cost-of-living, both Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, went to grocery stores in Pennsylvania to emphasize these issues. JD Vance shared a somewhat theatrical video of himself holding a carton of eggs, saying, “a dozen eggs will cost you around $4 thanks to Kamala Harris’s inflationary policies,” while a dozen eggs for $2.99 were visible in the back. Compare this to today – where the average egg price in February was $5.897.

A Look Back: The Campaign Trail

While on the campaign trail, one of Trump’s biggest critiques of the Democratic Administration was the high cost of groceries and other basic living expenses. Under Biden, inflation reached a peak of about 9.1% in June 2022. According to the World Economic Forum, inflation was high worldwide in 2022 largely due to food and energy costs in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, exacerbated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Voters’ disillusionment with the Biden/Harris Administration over this issue was clear; pre-election polling from Data for Progress and other sources reflected that voters consistently cared about inflation and the cost-of-living as a top issue.

On the last day of the campaign, Trump told a crowd in Pittsburgh, PA, “A vote for Trump means your groceries will be cheaper.” Trump’s promise to voters was clear and effective: re-elect me and I’ll bring costs down. So, has he followed through on his promise?

Trump’s Tariffs: A Recipe for Recession?

Three months into Trump’s second term, it seems like he is steamrolling the country into our next recession, instead. Following the announcement of a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico and an additional tariff on Chinese imports on March 3rd, the stock market plummeted. The broad index fell 1.76% – the worst decline since December and the Dow continued to fall the next day, losing over 1,300 points in two days. 

A month later, on April 2nd, Trump announced “reciprocal tariffs” on all countries at a 10% baseline. Additionally, he also announced a 34% tax on Chinese imports, a 20% tax on imports from the European Union, a 25% tax on South Korean imports, and a 24% tax on Japanese imports. Imports from Canada and Mexico are currently permitted to enter the U.S. without a tariff due to negotiations on immigration and drug trafficking. Following these new, broad sweeping tariffs, the stock market took another hit. On Friday alone, there was a 2,231-point drop and 6% dive in the S&P 500, the worst single-day performance since the pandemic crash in March 2020. CNN’s Fear & Greed Index, which aims to understand the emotion driving the market, was at a 3 on April 7th, signaling Extreme Fear.

Analysts at Goldman Sachs now see a 35% chance of a U.S. recession, up from 20% previously, citing concerns about the impact of tariffs. J.P. Morgan’s Chief Economist Bruce Kasman now sees a 60% chance of a global recession by the end of the year. In his note to investors, titled “There Will Be Blood,” Kasman said, “The effect of this tax hike is likely to be magnified—through retaliation, a slide in US business sentiment, and supply chain disruptions.” There seems to be no end in sight for the Trump Trade War as he wrote, “Be Strong, Courageous, and Patient, and GREATNESS will be the result!” on his Truth Social account on Monday, April 7th. Furthermore, as the U.S. market continues to rapidly drop, Trump spent the past weekend golfing in Mar-a-Lago.

Perhaps finally realizing the economic turmoil caused by his tariffs, Trump announced a 90-day pause on April 9th. The pause excluded China from the relief, and instead raised tariffs on Chinese imports to 125%. Trump’s will-he, won’t-he politics surrounding trade policy have thrown the market into whiplash.

The stock market is one indication of how an economy is doing, but what about actual grocery prices? Since Trump took office, staple items like eggs have already gotten more expensive. As of February 2025, the average cost of a dozen eggs in the U.S. is $5.90. According to The Atlantic, “The price of groceries, gas, housing, and other goods and services jumped 0.5 percent from December to January…and the price of eggs is up 53 percent.” These already-high prices will likely rise even further under Trump’s tariffs. The Food and Drug Administration notes that the U.S. imports about 15 percent of its overall food supply. In particular, “over 200 countries or territories supply approximately 32 percent of the fresh vegetables, 55 percent of the fresh fruit, and 94 percent of the seafood that Americans consume annually.” The Tax Policy Center explains, “A tariff is a tax on imported goods. Despite what the President says, it is almost always paid directly by the importer (usually a domestic firm), and never by the exporting country.” In other words, tariffs essentially act as a tax on consumers, meaning slapping tariffs on our key trade partners will make our grocery store bills go up, plain and simple. As if rising costs from Trump’s tariffs weren’t enough, another crisis looms: the unchecked spread of bird flu, which is set to make grocery bills even worse.

Rising Costs: Inflation, Bird Flu, and Grocery Bills

Chaos, instability, mismanagement, and high prices are likely the new normal under this Trump Administration. As Trump continues to alienate trade allies and focus on plans of mass deportation, mass layoffs, and more, he is pushing inflationary policies that will harm American families.

The USDA estimates that food prices will increase by 3.4% this year, with egg prices potentially increasing 41.1%. Of course, egg prices are tied to the rise of bird flu due to the amount of flocks being slaughtered to prevent the spread. However, Trump has failed to implement an effective response, including combating bird flu to alleviate the strain on the price of eggs. In fact, Trump’s pick for Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. recently suggested that farmers should let bird flu run through their flocks to identify the birds that are immune to it in a Fox News interview. Though he cannot mandate such a policy, various veterinary scientists argue this would have “enormous economic consequences.” For one, it would likely lead to trade embargoes against poultry from the U.S., resulting in a huge economic loss. Additionally, this method would put other farm animals and workers at risk; letting the virus spread unchecked would allow more opportunities for it to mutate into a more virulent form. Currently, the virus has not been able to spread from person-to-person, however 70 people have tested positive and 1 person has died.

Other adverse actions Trump has taken include pulling the U.S. out of the World Health Organization (WHO), placing a pause on external communications and travel, as well as implementing a federal hiring freeze. These drastic measures have broad sweeping impacts on the U.S.’s ability to combat bird flu, amongst other critical functions. The communications pause prevents the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from releasing key information or findings from scientific reports, leaving the public vulnerable and unaware of any developments or safety recommendations about the bird flu outbreak. Trump’s communications pause also institutes a travel ban, preventing researchers from attending meetings to discuss their work. Trump’s federal hiring freeze which is set to last until the end of April caused job offers from NIH to be rescinded, leaving some roles unfilled and teams at weakened capacity.

Compounding this chaos is the mass layoffs and funding cuts by Trump’s Administration, including the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Director of the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Global Center for Health Security, Dr. James Lawler, discussed his concern that DOGE’s interventions would weaken defenses against bird flu, saying, “I certainly think that dramatic cuts in [the USDA, CDC, and other entities’]staffing and budget are going to have a negative impact in our ability to [respond to these types of outbreaks]. At a time when over 150 million chickens, turkeys and ducks have died because of the virus (most culled to prevent spread), the USDA cut 78 jobs and was reviewing 1,000 more for potential termination on February 14th due to directives from DOGE. Most recently, on March 27th, the Trump administration announced it would lay off 10,000 employees at the Health and Human Services Department, which will greatly impact the CDC. 

At a time where the bird flu is drastically driving up the cost of eggs, Americans need a president who can effectively oversee and aid the government agencies and scientists in combating it – not one who has sabotaged their efforts at every turn. 

The Backlash: Voter Pushback and Public Outcry

Trump boldly claimed in his victory speech, “America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate.” The White House has echoed this sentiment when defending drastic changes made by Trump, typically via Executive Order. However, voters elected him to bring down inflation and costs, not to fire thousands of federal workers at the behest of an unelected bureaucrat, Elon Musk.

Project 2025 was largely unpopular to voters, and although voters seemed to not believe it was Trump’s agenda, he has clearly embarked on this venture. Many voters backed Trump hoping he would ease the cost of living – not believing or realizing they were signing up for mass layoffs, tariff-fueled price hikes, and deep cuts to essential programs.

The farmers that voted for Trump hoped he would make their lives easier, not cut vital federal subsidies, deport or threaten their undocumented workers, and increase prices through unnecessary tariffs and a trade war with our allies. American families want to afford everyday necessities – not face rising costs while essential social safety net programs are slashed to fund tax cuts for the billionaire class.

Americans have already begun to push back on Trump’s so-called “mandate,” showing up to town halls and protests, demanding answers for policies that have disproportionately favored the billionaire class while leaving working families behind. Over 1,400 mass-action protests were held at state capitols, federal buildings, congressional offices, Social Security’s headquarters, parks and city halls throughout all 50 states on April 5th as part of an organized anti-Trump protest. Elected officials are also taking note of the public’s dissatisfaction with Trump’s agenda. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) joined Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) on his “Fight the Oligarchy” tour, traveling across the United States to oppose Trump’s efforts to dismantle the federal government. Additionally, Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey delivered a record-setting 25-hour speech on the Senate floor in protest of Trump’s actions, describing the moment as “a time of crisis.”

If Trump truly intended to lower costs, his administration would be pursuing policies that support supply chains, strengthen trade relationships, and invest in infrastructure to ease inflationary pressures. Instead, his erratic tariffs, deep budget cuts, and reckless deregulation efforts have only fueled economic instability. Why? Because Trump’s agenda was never about helping the working class. He leaned into populist, protectionist rhetoric to gain enough votes to elevate himself back into the most powerful position in the U.S., and arguably the world.

Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) sums it up best: the tariffs are “a political weapon designed to collapse our democracy.” Economists across the political spectrum can agree, the tariffs make absolutely no sense as trade policy or economic policy. Rather, as Senator Murphy argues, “the tariffs are another tool for President Trump to try to compel pledges of loyalty—this time, from companies and industries in the United States.” Just as Trump has signed executive orders targeting law firms that challenge him and has threatened to withhold funding to pressure universities into compliance, he’s now using tariffs to bully corporations into submission.

“Everything that Donald Trump is doing,” Senator Murphy warns, “is in service of trying to stay in power forever – either him, his family, or his hand-picked successors. He’s trying to destroy our democracy.”

Driving the country toward a recession, failing to adequately address the bird flu outbreak, and provoking a global trade war all point to one undeniable truth: Trump does not care about the well-being of his constituents. The sooner we recognize that, the sooner we can unite to fight back – and save our democracy, or what remains of it.

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Editors

Pau Torres Pagès, Managing Editor

Jacqueline Tong, Copy-Editor