As Thanksgiving gets closer many Americans are realizing their holiday dinner may hit their wallets harder than they expected. Even though President Donald Trump has been insisting that grocery prices are “way down” a new report shows that several Thanksgiving staples have jumped about ten percent over the past year which is more than triple the current inflation rate. That jump is not something families can ignore and it stands in sharp contrast to Trump’s recent claims.
On social media Trump boasted that “2025 Thanksgiving dinner under Trump is 25% lower than 2024 Thanksgiving dinner under [President Joe] Biden, according to Walmart.” He also said “AFFORDABILITY is a Republican Stronghold. Hopefully, Republicans will use this irrefutable fact!” While Walmart did cut the price of its Thanksgiving meal by about 25 percent it also reduced the size of the meal from 29 items to 22 which Trump did not mention. For shoppers that detail matters.
Also Read: “Overwhelming Evidence” Bank of America Says Trump’s Tariffs Are Fueling Inflation
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released Consumer Price Index data in September showing grocery prices rising by 2.7 percent. That is the number voters seem to be feeling in their daily lives. In a Data for Progress poll 53 percent said they expect their Thanksgiving meal to be harder to afford this year while only 13 percent said it would be easier. More than a third said they were cutting back on what they buy.
The poll was done with the Groundwork Collaborative the Century Foundation and the American Federation of Teachers and their report points to Trump’s aggressive tariffs as a major driver of these price spikes. Turkey prices might look steady but the report explains that frozen turkeys are often used as a loss leader to bring shoppers into stores. Wholesale prices for frozen turkeys have actually jumped 75 percent and fresh turkey prices are up 36 percent which means the real cost is rising fast.
Other proteins are not offering relief. The price of an eight pound smoked spiral ham has gone from 7.69 dollars to 11.48 dollars which is nearly a fifty percent jump and beef roasts are up twenty percent. Many of the side dishes that make Thanksgiving feel complete have climbed even faster.
Sweet onions are up fifty six percent and popular canned goods like jellied cranberry sauce and creamed corn have each increased more than twenty percent. Macaroni and the cheese that tops it have risen by double digits. Even pie fillings and refrigerated crusts have sped far past inflation.
Heavy duty aluminum foil is up forty percent because of Trump’s fifty percent tariffs on steel and the ripple effect across canned goods. Four out of five canned items rely on steel and companies have also raised prices on goods packaged with domestic steel. Fresh produce may seem like a workaround but tariffs on fertilizer and herbicides have pushed those prices higher too.
Also Read: Trump’s Economic Team Blames ‘Sick Cows’ and Immigration for Beef Price Increases
Lindsay Owens the executive director of Groundwork summed it up by saying “This Thanksgiving, the main course is inflation as Trump’s policies force families to carve up their shrinking budgets.” And the pinch is not ending with food.
Housing and energy costs are rising and health insurance premiums are expected to more than double for over twenty million Americans after Republicans declined to renew a key Affordable Care Act tax credit. AFT president Randi Weingarten said “This administration’s policies made the cost of living higher than the year before. We must do everything we can to make it easier, not harder, for working Americans to afford groceries, housing, and healthcare.”