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The Average Cost of Grocery Staples When Trump Was President

July 13, 2024

3 min Read

Written by Chris Adam

Edited by Ashley Barnett

A woman with a full grocery cart looks at her receipt and her smartphone.

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There’s plenty of blame being thrown around this presidential election season over who’s to blame for inflation and rising costs. Donald Trump blames Joe Biden for causing inflation — while Biden has fired back that Trump destroyed the economy.

However, according to economists who talked to CNBC, “Neither Biden nor Trump is to blame for much of the inflation…The Covid-19 pandemic, Russia’s war in Ukraine, and Federal Reserve policy mishaps were beyond their control.”

According to the U.S. Inflation Calculator, “The average price of food in the United States increased 2.1% in the 12 months ended May, after an annual increase of 2.2% in April.”

The recent inflation and price hikes may have you missing the days when Trump was president, and grocery staples cost less — a lot less in some cases. Here’s a look at the average cost of some of those popular items back then.

Milk

Milk is a staple for many U.S. homes. According to the U.S. Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average price for a gallon of milk was about $3.86 in May. Here’s a look at average milk prices and milk prices adjusted for inflation in 2022 dollars for years Trump was in office:

2017: $3.23/$4.09
2018: $2.90/$3.77
2019: $3.04/$3.85
2020: $3.32/$3.97
2021: $3.55/$4.04

Eggs

You’ll also find eggs in many kitchens in America. According to the BLS, the average price of one dozen Grade A eggs was about $2.70 in May. Here’s a look at average egg prices and egg prices adjusted for inflation in 2022 dollars for the years Trump was president:

2017: $1.47/$2.11
2018: $1.74/$2.26
2019: $1.40/$2.02
2020: $1.51/$2.09
2021: $1.67/$2.21

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Bread

Bread is another grocery staple for many shoppers in the U.S. According to the People History, here are the prices for Sara Lee White Bread while Trump was president:

2017: $1.98
2018: $1.98
2019: $2.19
2020: $2.08
2021: $2.54

Potatoes

If the other price comparisons had you feeling down, this one won’t be so bad. Here’s what the People History lists for the price of one pound of Russet potatoes during the Trump presidency:

2017: $0.78
2018: $0.88
2019: $0.88
2020: $0.78

Bacon

You may have been one of the consumers who cut back on bacon around the pandemic because of higher prices. Here’s a look at what the People History lists for the price of one pound of Hormel bacon:

2017: $4.48
2018: $4.48
2019: $5.18
2020: $4.98
2021: $6.48

Toilet Paper

Finally, another staple for families is toilet paper. As you will see from the prices list from the People History, there has been some stability in the price of a pack of four rolls from Scott:

2017: $3.98
2018: $3.48
2019: $3.48
2020: $3.82
2021: $4.00

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