Those of you who piled shopping carts full of Thanksgiving goodies this week know that hosting the holiday dinner costs more this year.
Everyone seems to acknowledge this except our president.
I can attest to higher prices at the grocery store while dodging shoppers with sharp elbows as they skated the aisles like left-wingers ready for a slapshot in order to bring home turkeys and trimmings for their Thanksgiving feast. Don’t take my word for it, though, as you map out your after-dinner Black Friday strategy.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Labor Statistics says food prices have risen 2.7% compared to the same time last year. The cost of meats, poultry, fish and eggs saw the most significant increase, with prices up 5.2% compared to 2024.
The average cost of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner rose 7.1% from 2024 to 2025, reaching $61.14, according to various reports, from $57.09 last year.
A Purdue University report found that, compared to 2024, the price of that turkey you’re going to nosh on is 25% higher, costing an average of $2.05 per pound in 2025. Of course, some grocers used turkeys as loss leaders, discounting bird prices after shoppers spent a minimum amount at their stores.
Inflation is now at 3%, up from 2.9% in 2024. Under President Joe Biden, inflation numbers hit as high as 9% during the peak of his four-year term in 2022. The Federal Reserve has an inflation target of 2% a year.
Yet, President Donald Trump continues to ignore what is plainly evident in the checkout line. He won’t even eat crow, insisting earlier this month: “We don’t have any inflation.”
“Our prices are coming down very substantially on groceries and things,” he added with a straight face. We’re used to our politicians telling a fib now and then, but since he took office for his second four-year term, Trump has been outdoing Pinocchio by more than a nose.
Some may remember that on the hustings last year, Trump promised that if elected, he would “rapidly drive prices down and make America affordable again.” Like failing to end nearly a dozen hostilities across the globe (another campaign trail pledge), the cost of living has risen under his watch. There’s reality, and then there’s Trump Truths, especially when it comes to his prediction of a “golden economy” for us.
The president’s widespread tariffs are one reason prices have risen. Bananas imported from Guatemala, for example, were at 79 cents a pound the other day. Before the tariffs, bunches were about 49 cents a pound.
The Trump administration recently announced plans to lower tariffs on fruit imported into the U.S. from the banana republics. Apparently, those price drops haven’t hit the logistics pipeline.
Most Americans sitting down at the dinner table are about as mad at Trump as they were when Biden was president. National poll after poll shows those surveyed highly criticize Trump’s leadership when it comes to handling inflation and the economy, along with his interpretation of facts.
Like touting gas prices being lower than under Biden. Except the national average for regular gas was $3.055 a gallon on Tuesday, about the same as the $3.056 price a year ago when Biden was in the waning days of his presidency, the AAA reported.
Adding to economic uncertainty is the announcement earlier this week from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis that the release of its advance estimate of third-quarter Gross Domestic Product data will be canceled. Officials at the agency said the disruption caused by the federal government shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, is the reason.
If one believes that rationale. Some don’t, which isn’t surprising as we pass a year since Trump was elected to another term.
In the meantime, many Lake Countians are turning to alternative sources, especially food pantries, to supplement their family food budgets. Many organizations across the county this week distributed Thanksgiving food boxes full of everything needed for at-home banquets.
In one of the richest counties in America, no one should go hungry. Especially on Thanksgiving, our true American holiday.
Charles Selle is a former News-Sun reporter, political editor and editor.
sellenews@gmail.com
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