Democrats have issued a challenge to Donald Trump, urging him to fulfill his campaign promise of reducing food prices in a scathing letter aimed at countering the whirlwind narrative of his first week back in the White House. The letter serves as a pointed reminder to voters of the agenda he campaigned on.
Following an unprecedented flurry of executive orders on various issues—including immigration, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, and gender-identity rights—Trump has set the tone for his new term.
However, the letter from Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Jim McGovern criticizes him for neglecting the very issue he credited for his election win: grocery costs.
“The majority of those who voted for you said inflation and the economy were the most critical factors in the election,” the letter states. Signed by 19 fellow congressional Democrats, the letter underscores concerns that Trump has thus far ignored the issue of rising grocery prices.
“Instead of focusing on lowering Americans’ grocery bills, you have spent your first week in office trying to revoke birthright citizenship, issuing pardons for individuals who attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, and renaming a mountain,” the letter continues.
The letter highlights how Trump’s early priorities have deviated from his campaign messaging, where he frequently criticized the Biden administration’s handling of inflation. Throughout his campaign, Trump repeatedly promised swift action to make food more affordable for Americans.
“During your campaign, you repeatedly pledged that you would lower food prices ‘immediately’ upon taking office,” the letter reminds him.
“At the Republican National Convention, you vowed to ‘drive down prices and make America affordable again … starting on day one.’”
US Grocery Prices
This letter appears to be an effort to slow Trump’s early momentum while reinforcing to the American public that his victory over Kamala Harris was largely shaped by economic concerns—symbolized by “the price of eggs.”
During his campaign, Trump even staged an event at his Bedminster, New Jersey, club, standing before a backdrop of supermarket items to highlight the burden of high grocery costs on voters. However, he quickly shifted focus and discussed other topics.
Following his election, Trump told NBC’s Meet the Press, “I won on the border, I won on groceries.” Yet, in the weeks after, he tempered expectations about reducing food prices, telling Time magazine, “It’s hard to bring things down once they’re up. Very hard.”
Democrats have expressed willingness to collaborate with Trump if he remains committed to cutting grocery prices. However, they assert that meaningful action would require taking on some of the nation’s largest food corporations—an industry segment they frequently accuse of having close ties to the president.
“To make food more affordable, you should look at the dominant food and grocery corporations that have made record profits on the backs of working families who have been forced to pay higher prices,” the letter states.
The letter references a 2023 court hearing where a Kroger executive admitted that the grocery chain had significantly raised egg and milk prices beyond inflation levels in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additionally, it warns that the ongoing avian flu outbreak could provide retailers and producers with an opportunity to further restrict supply and hike prices.
To combat rising costs, the letter outlines several policy recommendations, including Federal Trade Commission and Department of Agriculture actions to prevent major retailers from sidelining smaller suppliers. It also calls on the Department of Justice to prosecute price-fixing in the food and agricultural industries.
The White House responded by linking Warren to what it characterized as the “failed economic policies” of the Biden administration, which it claims were responsible for driving inflation to record highs.
“President Trump immediately took action on day one to unleash American energy, which will drive down costs for families across the country,” said Anna Kelly, the White House deputy press secretary.
