Family food costs hit record high despite Trump touting cheaper Thanksgiving dinner
U.S. President Donald Trump gestures at the McDonald's Impact Summit at the Westin Hotel in Washington, D.C., U.S., November 17, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
As Americans prepare for Thanksgiving, President Donald Trump is promoting Walmart’s 25 percent cheaper holiday meal as evidence that grocery prices are falling. But the discount reflects a smaller, bargain-focused menu with fewer items and fewer name-brand products — lowering the cost of a one-time holiday feast without addressing the broader fact shoppers are seeing at the checkout line, that overall food prices have hit a record high this year.
The fact-checkers at Snopes reported on Friday that the cost of feeding a family of four for one month hit an all-time high of $1,030 this year. Snopes cited data from the Urban Institute, a Washington, D.C. think tank, whose October American Affordability Tracker compiled figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
A separate report released Friday by Groundwork Collaborative, The Century Foundation, and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) found that many Thanksgiving basics have risen sharply, contradicting the claim that the Thanksgiving holiday meal is generally cheaper.
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“The full holiday meal is up nearly 10 percent this year, more than triple the overall rate of inflation,” the report found. It stated that onions are up 56 percent, creamed corn is up more than 20 percent, butternut squash and collard greens have risen over 12 percent, and french-fried onion topping for a green bean casserole has climbed 15 percent.
Meanwhile, citing “the highest inflation in decades,” CNN reported on Friday that the “Trump administration’s unprecedented tariffs, the immigration crackdown and global natural disasters have rattled the food supply chain. Grocery prices rose in August at their fastest pace in three years and increased again in September, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.”
“This is coming on the heels of the highest inflation in decades,” the news network noted.
Americans should not expect grocery prices to drop before Thanksgiving, The New York Post revealed on Friday.
“Grocery prices will remain stiff across the board through Thanksgiving despite President Trump’s recent cancellation of tariffs on beef, bananas and more — and coffee drinkers shouldn’t expect relief until after Christmas.”
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