Money poll: Only 55 percent blame the Trump administration for high grocery prices?
The Hill: A majority of Americans who said grocery prices are hard to afford blamed the Trump administration for putting them in that situation, according to a new poll.
The Politico Poll, conducted in mid-November, asks those who said grocery prices are “difficult” or “very difficult” to afford who they thought is most responsible: 55 percent said the current Trump administration, 27 percent said the Biden administration, and 26 percent said state government.
Another 20 percent said billionaires, 20 percent said businesses, and 17 percent said local and city governments. Respondents were allowed to select all that apply.
Struggling Americans were less likely to blame the Trump administration for other expenses they find unaffordable — but they still blamed the White House more often than anyone else.
Among those who struggle to afford their health care costs, 48 percent blamed the current administration, 45 percent blamed insurance companies, 28 percent blamed the state government, and 23 percent blamed the Biden administration.
Opinion: Only 55 percent? Nothing surprises me anymore.
Trump is one important reason grocery prices are high, as his tariffs and immigration crackdown are all pushing in the same “higher prices” direction.
Tariffs on imported foods and on inputs like steel, aluminum, and some farm supplies act as taxes that companies partially pass through in the form of higher prices for items such as coffee, bananas, canned goods, and some meats.
Aggressive immigration enforcement has reduced the farm‑labor force by well over 100,000 workers, and Trump’s own Labor Department has formally warned that this causes labor shortages, raises production costs, and risks “supply‑shock‑induced” food shortages and higher prices.
In addition to Trump’s policies, multiple structural shocks (pandemic, war in Ukraine, weather, corporate pricing) also play a role in escalating prices. Since 2020, grocery prices have risen on the order of 25–30%, meaning a basket that cost about 100 dollars pre‑pandemic is now closer to 125–130 dollars. Major drivers include COVID-19 supply chain disruptions, surges in global energy and fertilizer costs, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and disease outbreaks in key food categories like eggs and poultry. These shocks raised baseline costs before Trump’s 2025 policy changes even hit.
Lee is the Editor-in-Chief and founder of 2026PREDICT.com (predictionsandodds.com)—a cutting-edge platform dedicated to analyzing and tracking the accuracy of prediction markets and forecasting models.
