When it comes to consumer prices and the cost of living, Donald Trump and his team tend to prefer gaslighting to policymaking, but there’s one notable exception: Beef prices have soared this year, and the president has grudgingly acknowledged the trend, conceding on Fox News last week that the price of beef is “a little high.”
Earlier this month, the president, eager to avoid blame, identified a culprit. “I have asked the DOJ to immediately begin an investigation into the Meat Packing Companies who are driving up the price of Beef through Illicit Collusion, Price Fixing, and Price Manipulation,” he wrote via his social media platform. Because the White House now controls the Justice Department, Attorney General Pam Bondi declared online hours later, “Our investigation is underway!”
But as it turns out, the Republican administration isn’t blaming only the meatpacking industry. The New York Times reported:
With many Americans frustrated by Mr. Trump’s tariffs, his advisers have been straining to blame the high cost of hamburgers — and anything else — on anyone other than the president. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent tried to explain high beef prices over the weekend by blaming undocumented immigrants, saying they were bringing sick cows into the United States.
Bessent really did appear on Fox News on Sunday morning and suggest “mass immigration” was at least partially responsible for rising beef prices. The secretary added that some migrants “have brought some of their cattle with them” when entering the U.S.
As a rule, when migrants try to reach American soil, they bring loved ones and a backpack. They do not tend to bring livestock. The Times report added, “The Treasury Department did not respond to a request for an explanation about Mr. Bessent’s suggestion that sick cows were being brought from Mexico across the border.”
Making matters worse is the familiarity of the circumstances. Concerned about health care costs? Team Trump says to blame immigrants. Frustrated by housing costs? Team Trump says to blame immigrants. Worried about crime? Team Trump says to blame immigrants.
Evidently, the growing list now includes beef prices, as implausible as this might seem.
