Trump says bringing down grocery prices is 'very hard' after vowing to cut costs on the campaign trail
With just over a month until his return to the White House, President-elect Donald Trump said in a new interview that it's "very hard" to bring down the cost of groceries for American families, raising questions about one of his key 2024 campaign promises.
In an interview with Time Magazine for its Person of the Year spread, Trump, 78, was asked whether he would consider his presidency a failure if costs didn't come down for consumers.
"I don't think so. Look, they got them up, I'd like to bring them down. It's hard to bring things down once they're up," he said. "You know, it's very hard.
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"I think that energy is going to bring them down. I think a better supply chain is going to bring them down," he added. On the campaign trail, Trump, without providing details, repeatedly said he believed cutting regulations and other challenges for the energy sector could bring down prices across the board for Americans.
Despite grocery inflation cooling since its peak in 2022, grocery prices are up more than 25% from where they were in 2019, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which added to frustration over long-term affordability that took center stage in the 2024 race to the White House.
Trump promised on the campaign trail just months ago to take charge of high prices. In August, he held a news conference at his New Jersey golf course standing next to a table of grocery items and attacked Vice President Kamala Harris' economic policies.
"Prices will come down,” Trump also told rallygoers during a speech in August. “You just watch. They’ll come down, and they’ll come down fast, not only with insurance, with everything.”
Trump assembled a team of long-time allies to tackle the economy in his second administration, including billionaire investor Howard Lutnick as his next commerce secretary, international trade lawyer Jamieson Greer as U.S. trade representative, and economist Kevin Hassett as director of the White House National Economic Council.
More: Gas prices are a favorite RNC talking point. Here's how they changed under Trump, Biden
In an interview with NBC's Kristen Welker that aired earlier this week, Trump also said he "can't guarantee" Americans won't pay more under his proposed tariff plans.
The president-elect has threatened to level tariffs against some of America's top trading partners, such as China, Canada and Mexico. Though Trump has said it could incentivize manufacturing in America, others have argued companies will pass costs incurred from the tariffs on to consumers.
After Trump made prices a major part of his reelection bid, expectations are high for the president-elect actually bringing down the cost of everyday goods. It's an issue many voters cited as their largest burden, according to a July USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump says grocery costs are 'hard' to bring down in Time interview