A longtime supporter of Donald Trump has gone viral online after publicly complaining about rising living costs under the president’s administration, sparking strong reactions on social media.
Keith Pedersen, described as a senior Trump voter, posted on Facebook about the increasing cost of everyday essentials such as gasoline, groceries and other household items. His post quickly circulated online, drawing widespread attention and a wave of critical responses from users who pointed out his past political support for the policies he was now criticizing.
Pedersen’s comments come at a time when many Americans say they are feeling the strain of rising prices, particularly at the grocery store and the gas pump. Earlier this year, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins claimed food prices were declining. However, government data has suggested otherwise.
The Consumer Price Index showed grocery costs rising by 0.7% in December. Certain products have increased even more sharply. Beef prices, for example, rose 1% during the month and were up 16.4% compared with the previous year. Rollins recently highlighted beef near the top of the food pyramid in updated dietary guidelines, even as the price of the product has continued climbing.
You can see his post below.
At the same time, gas prices have been rising rapidly across the United States. The surge has been partly linked to the conflict with Iran, which has pushed fuel costs higher in recent weeks.
According to national tracking data, the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline surpassed $3.84 on Wednesday, marking the highest level since September 2023. Data from AAA also showed the national average increasing by another four cents last week to $3.88. Diesel prices have remained even higher, staying above $5 per gallon in many areas.
Patrick De Haan of GasBuddy said the current trend is particularly dramatic. He noted that the U.S. is seeing the fastest four-week increase in gasoline prices on record, with prices jumping roughly 97 cents during that period.
Despite the rising costs, Trump has repeatedly pushed back against claims that Americans are struggling with affordability. Last year, he said that affordability concerns were overblown, stating that affordability “doesn’t mean a thing to anybody.” He also accused Democrats of spreading what he described as a “fake narrative” and “con job” about the economy.
Trump previously dismissed concerns from a supporter who asked him to lower grocery prices. Responding to the North Carolina woman, he said, “I think of groceries, you know, it’s an old-fashioned word, but it’s a beautiful word,” while also insisting that “beef, we have to get down, but we’ve got prices way down.”
He has also argued that the U.S. has seen “the biggest reduction in costs in the history of that chart or whatever that thing is they do,” adding that he does not “want to hear a thing about the affordability because right now we’re much less.”
During remarks after the 2024 election, Trump claimed voters backed him because food prices had surged. He said, “when you buy apples, when you buy bacon, when you buy eggs, they would double and triple the price over a short period of time, and I won an election based on that,” while promising that “we’re going to bring those prices way down.”
However, he later acknowledged in an interview with Time magazine that it is “very hard” to actually reduce grocery prices.
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