Why do Republicans now think it's okay to pay more for everything?
President Donald Trump campaigned in 2024 on the false notion that the policies put in place by President Joe Biden (along with Vice President Kamala Harris) had created economic chaos and out-of-control inflation.
This was untrue. In fact, economic data showed that conditions improved in most categories under Biden. Unemployment rates improved, especially in contrast to the economic downturn that occurred under Trump’s mishandling of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. Regardless, Trump promised to fix all of the purported problems—like soaring egg prices—on “Day 1” of his presidency.
That didn’t happen and in recent weeks, economic conditions have worsened. Trump’s actions since he was sworn in on Jan. 20, from slashing the federal workforce via Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency to his haphazard and widely derided tariff announcements, have led to rising fears of an economic slowdown and possible recession.
The major stock indices fell for multiple days in a row in response to Trump’s unpredictable actions. But despite his extensive history of pointing to the market as validation or repudiation of economic action, Trump now says the markets are merely experiencing a “period of transition.”
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/3/15/2309974/-Why-do-Republicans-now-think-it-s-okay-to-pay-more-for-everything
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Donald Trump’s tariff plans will make it worse, and burgers dearer
Economist: https://archive.ph/tikoz#selection-1161.0-1165.66
Thankfully, imports have saved the day. As recently as 2022 America was a net exporter of beef. That has now reversed. Last year imports totalled 2m head of live cattle and 4.6bn pounds (2.1bn kg) of the dead variety–a record high. That has stopped prices rising further. Yet Mr Trump seems more worried about foreign herds crossing the border than he is about inflation. On March 3rd, on his social-media platform, Truth Social, the president staked out a new position. On April 2nd he will be imposing hefty new tariffs on agricultural imports. That will probably include beef. Farmers, he said, should “get ready” to grow food to sell to Americans, and “have fun”.
One might think cattlemen at least would be delighted. Unlike say, soyabean farmers, who largely export their crop and so will get hit by reciprocal tariffs, they are at a medium-rare advantage: Americans are already buyers, and a squeeze on imports will merely push up the price. “You could make the argument…it is actually going to help the domestic market,” says Steve Sonderman, a rancher in north-east Nebraska. The problem, he goes on to explain, is that ranching is more complicated than that. “We’re trying to be in a rebuilding phase for the herd,” he says. A sudden price spike would encourage farmers to sell down their stocks rather than invest. Meanwhile, consumers might learn to like alternatives to red meat. “So it’d be a great thing for price, but probably a horrible thing for the industry,” he says.
Even if the proposed agricultural tariffs do not go into effect, a now partially suspended separate 25% tariff on Canada and Mexico may be reimposed. Just like an engine part, a cow may cross many borders before it is finally eaten. Of America’s imported cows, a large share are calves raised in Mexico then brought to America to fatten. Once fattened, many then go to Canadian slaughterhouses, with the product subsequently reimported. That may all be disrupted too. Mr Trump famously likes to eat his steaks well done. With these tariffs he may be the one who gets burnt.
And all Trump will have is GROUND CHUCK!!!
