Trump promised lower grocery prices 'on Day One.' Here's what happened

(NEXSTAR) – Campaigning for bureau a twelvemonth ago, lasting successful beforehand of a array loaded up with bags of flour, cartons of eggs and gallons of milk, President Donald Trump told voters, “When I win, I volition instantly bring prices down, starting connected Day One.”

Unfortunately for him – and money-strapped Americans – it hasn’t worked retired that way.

Nexstar employees astir the state tracked a enactment of market items implicit the past six months to spot if prices would rise, autumn oregon enactment the aforesaid aft Trump took bureau successful January. Our observations, arsenic good arsenic national information collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), amusement market prices wide person remained stubbornly precocious and adjacent accrued slightly.

The wide outgo of nutrient astatine location has ticked up betwixt 0.2% and 0.4% astir each period since January, according to BLS tracking. One objection was successful April 2025, erstwhile prices went down 0.1% from the period before. All those tiny increases person added up to a 3% summation successful nutrient prices year-over-year.

The concern astatine immoderate fixed market store is much nuanced and varied than the top-line nationalist mean would indicate.

Goods that are shelf-stable besides turned retired to beryllium beauteous price-stable astatine the market stores we checked successful San Jose, California; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Bismarck, North Dakota betwixt January and July of 2025. The terms of a container of cookies didn’t alteration astatine each implicit the six-month period.

But with caller fruit, the clip of twelvemonth made a difference. Strawberries, for example, were overmuch cheaper successful the summertime than they were successful February.

Why eggs are down, beef is up

Since spiking successful March, egg prices person been connected the decline, but stay historically high. The latest Consumer Price Index shows the outgo of eggs is up much than 27% betwixt June 2024 and June 2025. They are, however, down astir 11% from May to June this year.

Experts were informing successful aboriginal 2024 that beef prices could scope grounds highs owed to the lowest inventory since 1951, brought connected by drought conditions and the rising costs of maintaining herds. Other factors that popped up this year, similar tariffs and a flesh-eating screwworm, person pushed beef prices northward.

Last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that beef prices had jumped more than 8% since the commencement of the year. Beef and veal prices, combined connected the CPI, are up much than 10% year-over-year. Between May and June, prices jumped astir 2.5%.

Americans disquieted market prices volition enactment high

The immense bulk of U.S. adults are astatine slightest somewhat stressed astir the outgo of groceries, a caller canvass finds, arsenic prices proceed to rise and concerns astir the interaction of Trump’s tariffs remain widespread.

About fractional of each Americans accidental the outgo of groceries is simply a “major” root of accent successful their beingness close now, portion 33% accidental it’s a “minor” root of stress, according to the canvass from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Only 14% accidental it’s not a root of stress, underscoring the pervasive anxiety astir Americans proceed to consciousness astir the outgo of mundane essentials.

Citing a study from the Tax Foundation, Nexstar’s The Hill reported precocious past period that astir 75% of the nation’s nutrient imports are expected to beryllium impacted by Trump’s latest circular of tariffs, which took effect astatine the commencement of August. Days prior, an investigation by the Yale Budget Lab estimated nutrient prices would emergence much than 3% implicit the abbreviated term.