Detached From Reality: This Economist Is Slamming The Trump Administration For This Ridiculous Claim They Made About American Spending Habits
Food prices are more than 30% higher today than they were right before the COVID-19 pandemic.
President Donald Trump’s top economic adviser displayed a rather brazen attempt to spin Americans’ struggles with affordability.
Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, made a dubious claim about rising costs during an pearance on Fox News Sunday ― namely, that the increased consumer spending of late is actually evidence of an optimistic public.
People are spending more on gas, but they’re also spending more on everything else, not just groceries, but restaurants and so on, Hassett said. And I think that’s a sign that you would see when people are optimistic about the future. But an economist who studies food prices and consumer behavior said the interpretation is deeply misleading ― and potentially damaging to public trust.
Those comments are very detached from reality, David L. Ortega, a food economist and professor at Michigan State University, told HuffPost. When we’re talking about things like food, groceries and gas, these are necessities. People have to eat. They need gas to get to work and move around. When we see more spending in those categories, it’s largely driven by higher prices ― not because people are optimistic about where we’re headed or where we currently are.
Hassett’s remarks echo those of his boss. Trump has also questioned Americans’ concerns about affordability, calling the cost-of-living crisis a hoax and shrugging off rising prices as peanuts.
But the data tells a different story. Food prices are 3.2% higher today than they were a year ago, Ortega noted, which has a real impact on people’s wallets. What is more concerning is that food prices are more than 30% higher today than they were right before the COVID-19 pandemic, Ortega said. In 2022, we saw the sharpest year-over-year increase in food prices in about 40 years.
Grocery costs surged faster in 2022 than any year since 1979 amid the Ukraine war, avian flu outbreak, supply chain disruptions and more challenges. What we’ve experienced over the past few years is certainly not within the normal balance of what we were looking at prior to the pandemic, Ortega said. And at this moment, food price inflation has moderated from those highs of 2022 when we were looking at double-digit increases, but we’re now seeing a resurgence in inflation. The month-over-month numbers for groceries, in particular this last month, was the fastest increase that we’ve seen since 2022.
Although cost increases since the pandemic have had multiple causes, Ortega noted that the latest spikes seem to be largely the result of Trump administration policies and a new wave of global uncertainty.
A lot of this is driven by the impacts of the tariffs and trade policy, he explained. And we’re starting to see signs of the Middle Eastern conflict show up in food prices because of higher gas and transportation costs. Immigration policy impacts the availability of labor in agriculture. There is just a tremendous amount of uncertainty at the moment. That’s what differentiates the current moment from other shocks that we’ve seen in the more recent past.
Ortega also pointed to more concrete proof of how Americans actually feel about the economy, which seems quite at odds with Hassett’s optimism framing. The Consumer Sentiment Index ― which is a good measure of people’s level of optimism or pessimism regarding their financial situations and the broader health of the economy ― recently registered the lowest reading since they began data, he noted.
For Ortega, the disconnect between official messaging and lived experience has consequences beyond household budgets. People lose trust, he said. They lose trust in our elected officials; they lose trust in institutions. And it can have pretty significant consequences for how people view the economy. You don’t have to tell folks who are struggling to make ends meet what’s going on. And the messaging they’re getting isn’t aligned with their lived experiences, which leads to an erosion of trust that can be pretty problematic for economic policy going forward.
For Americans feeling squeezed, there are some everyday ways to help ease the burden. Food prices are significantly higher today than they were just a few years ago, and costs are up all along the supply chain. But supermarkets and grocery stores are still competing for customers’ business, Ortega explained. So it pays off to shop around a little bit, to take advantage of deals and promotions that some grocery retailers may be able to provide.
He also recommended considering substituting pricier food items for lower-cost options when possible. If there’s a type of protein right now that’s high, you can maybe substitute it for something else, and it also may pay off to consider private labels or store brands that sell at a much more affordable price point than some of the national brands, Ortega said.
For non-food items, you can also track deals with price-monitoring tools and browser extensions that give you cash back on purchases. Make use of gift cards and rewards points, and avoid rushing into big spending decisions.
Be mindful of your gas consumption and consider exploring ways to make a tank last longer. Keep an eye out for hidden fees that tend to sneakily rise during times of economic uncertainty as well.
Still, individual budgeting strategies only go so far. Ortega was clear that the bigger solutions are political, not personal. Prices are high for American consumers right now, and we’ve seen policies and actions in the past year and a half that have really contributed to the resurgence in food price inflation, he said. Hold your elected officials accountable. We have elections coming up in November, and that’s an opportunity to hold public officials accountable.
This article originally peared on HuffPost.

A former McDonald’s manager who went viral when a video peared to show her putting french fries in her mouth before serving them to a customer has been ordered not to work in the fast food industry.
Kaylie Santos, a 22-year-old Southbridge resident, was charged with distributing food with a harmful substance after police investigated the video. On Friday, Santos pleaded not guilty in her initial court pearance in Dudley, according to the Telegram & Gazette.
After the hearing, the judge released Santos on personal recognizance and ordered her not to work in a fast food restaurant until her court case concludes, according to the Telegram.
Santos, a night manager at the time, peared in a video recorded on Snchat and later posted on Facebook, which caught the attention of the town’s police department and director of public health. The video quickly gained national attention as Santos is heard saying, When your girlfriend want french fries today right … she wants french fries today right.
The video from ril 9 then showed Santos grabbing a handful of french fries, putting them in her mouth and placing them in a french fry carton. Police later obtained surveillance footage from inside the restaurant that showed Santos spit into the container before placing the fries into the carton, according to a police report in Dudley District Court.
The victim told police she had dated Santos and that they had broken up a few years ago.

Several foods and beverages were pulled from store shelves nationwide because of one ingredient that may be a salmonella risk.
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there are 11 products companies are removing because they were exposed to or contained powdered milk that was contaminated with salmonella. The recalls were announced in ril and May.
Full recall list
The most recent recall comes from Motor City Pizza Co., which announced on May 29 that it was pulling batches of its 5 Cheese Bread sold at retailers including Walmart, Costco and Target.
The affected milk powder was provided to a third-party manufacturer that produces a seasoning blend used in the pizza company’s five-cheese sauce.
The nationwide recall impacts Motor City Pizza Co. 5 Cheese Bread in single packs with the following UPC codes:
8 70375 00511 1
8 70375 00509 8
The following products are also linked to this recall:
Angel Specialty Products, Royal Gold, Boba Time, Fanale, and Denda – Specialty beverages recalled May 22, manufactured by SKS Copack
Blackstone – Parmesan ranch seasoning recalled May 16, manufactured by Blackstone Products
Williams Sonoma and Fireworks Popcorn – White cheddar seasoning recalled May 8, manufactured by Jonco Industries, Inc.
Stoltzfus Family Dairy – Sour cream and onion cheese curds recalled May 7, manufactured by Stoltzfus Family Dairy LLC
Wildlife Seasoning – Flavored popcorn seasoning recalled May 7, manufactured by JCB Flavors, LLC
Giant Eagle – Pita chips with parmesan, garlic, and herbs recalled May 7, manufactured by Legacy Snack Solutions
Fisher, Southern Style Nuts, Squirrel Brand, and Good & Gather – Snack mixes recalled May 6, manufactured by John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc.
Pork King Good – Pork rinds and seasoning bottles recalled May 5, manufactured by Pork King Good
Zp’s and Dirty – Potato chips recalled May 4, manufactured by UTZ Quality Foods LLC
Ghirardelli – Powdered beverage mix recalled ril 28, manufactured by Ghirardelli Chocolate Company
What is salmonella?
Salmonella is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, the elderly and individuals with weakened immune systems.
Healthy people infected with salmonella typically experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

The VFW Syosset is hosting a fundraiser with raffles and food to support homeless veterans.
SYOSSET, NY — The VFW Syosset is hosting a fundraiser on Saturday to help homeless Long Island veterans, organized by 80-year-old Farmingdale resident and Vietnam veteran Arturo Edwards.
The fundraiser, with special veteran honoree Mitch Furman, will be June 6 from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Gus Scutari Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6394 at 20 Queens St. in Syosset.
Admission will be $25 per guest, and all proceeds will benefit Help for Homeless Long Island Veterans Nonprofit Organization. There will be food and beverages, as well as raffles with prizes such as an Embassy Diner gift card, 2 Spring Restaurant gift cards, a flat screen TV, Long Island Ducks tickets, and more.
For those who cannot attend in person, they can still support the organization’s mission by donating through their website.
Edwards is the president of Help for Homeless Long Island Veterans, which was founded in 2025 and is based in Farmingdale. He said it is his mission to aid homeless veterans on Long Island.
They worked with other organizations and supporters in the past, including Bethpage’s Embassy Diner, which hosted a previous fundraiser for the 501(c)(3).
“We’re honoring the Blue Star Mothers for their support with veterans,” Edwards said.

A new Philadelphia-style frozen dessert shop coming to Downtown Disney just in time for summer will tear a page from the playbook of Joe’s Italian Ice in hopes of drawing the same fanatical crowds as the nearby summertime hangout.
Hpy Ice will open a new Philadelphia-style Italian water ice stand in late June next to the Downtown Disney Live Stage at the Anaheim outdoor shopping mall next to Disneyland.
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The handcrafted frozen dessert cart will be located between the Parkside Market and Din Tai Fung.
Hpy Ice was started by Philadelphia native Lemeir Mitchell as a Los Angeles-based food truck in 2017. Hpy Ice now has brick-and-mortar dessert shops in Hollywood and Northridge. The Hpy Ice food truck has been making regular stops at Downtown Disney since 2022.
Water ice traces its roots to South Philadelphia’s Italian neighborhoods as an adtation of the traditional Sicilian dessert known as granita.
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Hpy Ice’s all-natural menu of Italian water ices made with real fruit and pure cane sugar will feature a lineup of rotating flavors.
The Downtown Disney cart will serve a specialty Joy-Lati made with Italian ice, sweet cream, fresh fruit and sauces.
The Joy-Lati sounds a lot like the Joe Latti served at the always-crowded Joe’s Italian Ice just a mile and half away from Downtown Disney on Harbor Boulevard.