Let’s Talk Turkey

How Trump has raised the price of Thanksgiving

Friends,

Trump broke his biggest campaign promise, and it’s about to send the cost of your — and every other American’s — Thanksgiving holiday meals soaring.

The single-biggest reason people voted for him was to bring prices down. But this Thanksgiving, grocery prices are the highest they’ve been in years — and several of Trump’s policies are making the problem worse.

Here’s what Trump has done to your Thanksgiving menu:

1. Turkey

Start with turkey prices, which are up 40% this year. That’s largely due to the avian flu. But instead of working to contain avian flu outbreaks — which reduce supply, increase prices, and put public health at risk — Trump has fired or furloughed scientists and bird flu experts across multiple government agencies.

His CDC and Department of Agriculture also cut off routine reporting with states, leaving many officials without up-to-date guidance on how to detect and contain the disease.

2. Carrots, pumpkin pie, cranberry sauces

What about our favorite holiday side dishes? They’re all costing more because of monopolies.

What did Trump do about this? He has rolled back anti-monopoly policies designed to promote competition and protect small businesses and farms from the power of giant corporations.

3. Fruit salad and steamed vegetables

Trump’s tariffs are boosting their prices. It’s not hard to see how adding an import tax to goods brought into the country results in those goods costing more.

America imports about 60% of its fresh fruit and 35% of its fresh vegetables — meaning your fruit salad and steamed vegetables are costing you more because of Trump’s tariffs.

4. Coffee

Not even your after-dinner cup of coffee is safe. Thanks to Trump’s tariffs, coffee prices saw their largest month-to-month price increase since 2011. The average household is estimated to spend an extra $1,800 on goods — including food — in 2025.

Trump’s tariffs, on top of sparking trade wars with other countries, are hitting farmers hard too — which could put them out of business.

5. Other food on your Thanksgiving table

Meanwhile, Trump’s unprecedented crackdown on undocumented immigrants is causing you to pay more at the grocery store. Even Trump’s own Labor Department has admitted this.

ICE raids on farms and other job sites have a chilling effect on the labor force, leaving crops unharvested in the fields and supply chains disrupted.

Agricultural employment dropped 6.5% from March to July. Replacing and retraining workers is costly and time-consuming for farmers. Those costs inevitably get passed on to you.

6. Even food banks!

At the same time, Trump’s regime has cut aid to food banks. Food stamp programs have also been gutted by Trump and Republicans to finance tax cuts for the richest Americans.

Please keep this in mind during a holiday season that celebrates abundance. If you have the means, donate to or volunteer at a local food bank.

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Trump doesn’t want you to know any of this. He’s doing everything possible to prevent the public from knowing how much and how fast prices are rising.

In the recent government shutdown, he used the absence of official data on inflation to tout numbers from the delivery app DoorDash and claim “everyday prices are beginning to drop.” With Thanksgiving coming, he claimed, “Grocery prices are way down,” referring to a Walmart promotional Thanksgiving package that cost less than last year but had six fewer items.

But here’s the truth: Rising grocery prices resulting from Trump’s failure to keep his biggest promise are hitting hit all of us — no matter whom we voted for — and making this Thanksgiving especially expensive.

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Here’s a video we made of how Trump’s policies have caused this Thanksgiving to be far more expensive. Please share.