Summary
Vice President JD Vance claimed that Donald Trump’s policies will lower grocery prices, but he failed to provide details.
Instead, Vance emphasized vague goals like increasing capital investment and job creation.
Meanwhile, Trump’s recent tariff threats, including a 25% increase on Colombian coffee imports, have driven coffee prices higher, exacerbating grocery costs.
Critics note Trump’s shifting narrative, as he now admits it is “hard to bring things down once they’re up.”
Supporters, however, downplayed price hikes, suggesting cheaper alternatives like instant coffee.
“Supporters, however, downplayed price hikes, suggesting cheaper alternatives like instant coffee.”
Almost like it was never about egg prices at all for alot of them
It was about instant coffee?
Oh hey, that’s his plan for healthcare costs too.
Funny enough, not his plan for how to resolve issues with minorities wanting rights
Executive orders don’t work for things like reigning in corporate greed. They work for everything else. But helping a large portion of the nations backbone? Can’t do it. Won’t even try.
-DJT (probably)
“The way that you lower prices is that you encourage more capital investment into our country,” Vance added.
This clown hasn’t a clue how the economy works.
There are only 3 ways to lower(that came to my mind) prices in a quick way.
1: Abandon regulations. If corporations don’t have to invest into safety, ecology and such stuff they have lower production costs which can mean lower prices.
2: More competition. If corporations have to compete with each other they usually start a battle over who gets the best quality for the lowest price.
3: Subsidies. Nothing to say here I guess.
Edit: Point one and three lower production costs. As others have already pointed out, these dont mean lower prices, but more profit for companys
4 - Reduce Profit Margin.
Corporate has dispatched a kill team to your location.
1: Abandon regulations. If corporations don’t have to invest into safety, ecology and such stuff they have lower production costs which can mean lower prices.
I think corporations have pretty clearly demonstrated an unwillingness to pass savings in their production chain on to the consumer. For example, very few items have gone back down to their pre-pandemic price point, even though scarcity and supply chain issues from COVID have largely resolved.
Corporations don’t willingly give up money. In circumstances like 1 and 3 they’ll more likely just say “thanks for making line go up more” lol. COVID imposed some supply issues that I would assume are mostly mitigated by now, but I haven’t seen costs decrease, only increase–so now we have record profits in many contexts. Subsidies can sometimes help, but it seems to me that the most effective subsidies (in terms of lowering cost) are those with significant, more powerful corporate players downstream (e.g., corn in the US) rather than those purchased by individual consumers who have comparatively little power.
I don’t know that 2 is necessarily quick, but competition can indeed lower prices if a competitor can actually survive against the behemoths in their respective markets. In those instances, corporations can try to shape regulation to squash the upstarts while leaving the big players alone.
I’m not sure that government really has the ability to lower prices in a way that isn’t somehow perverted by large corporate entities given the power they have.
Youre right. I forgot that companies will likely not lower the prices.
Nationalize the companies involved in production and distribution and eliminate profit, making and selling everything at-cost also works.
There’s too much evidence all over the world that point 1 would never work. If deregulation relieve then from certain costs, they’ll happily enjoy higher profits. 🤷
- Reduce trade barriers, like tariffs
Secret option 4: general strike. Pay us more, charge less, or we’ll eat the wealthy before we go hungry.
May 1st. 2028. We all walk out together.
It’s all gonna trickle down any day now, right?
He knows a lot better than the clowns that voted him in. Lowering prices would mean deflation and that’s pretty much universally seen as a bad thing. The best you can do is increase wages. Of which the GOP will do nothing about.
increasing capital investment and job creation.
So giving rich people money, same plan as the last forty years.
Brilliant.
You mean the man who said he had concepts of a plan didn’t have a plan? Color me shocked.
He once smelled someone’s seat who had the concept of a plan. That must count for something
It seems like it’s kept in the same binder Trump keeps his healthcare plan and his plan to end the war in Ukraine
Trump just wants to be president, he doesn’t want to do president
The plan is to let prices go up (predictably, given tariffs) while forever promising people that prices will come down soon. I’m sure it will happen right after the wealth Reagan promised finally trickles down.
Ah, like Infrastructure Week 2.0
Ah, like the beautiful Healthcare Plan
Apparently the concept of his healthcare plan involves just… turning off Medicare, without warning.
Meanwhile they will keep finding and making enemies to blame the high prices on.
The actual Trickle Down economy: Getting drenched in a golden shower while waiting for your millions
Fun fact: “trickle down economics” is just rebranded horse and sparrow economics. The idea being that if you overfeed your horse, it won’t digest it all and the sparrow will be able to sift through the horse shit to find bits of food to eat.
I don’t think we get the luxury of it being golden with diaper don.
Supporters, however, downplayed price hikes, suggesting cheaper alternatives like instant coffee.
Translation:
Let them eat cake
The republican plan is to lie and get elected so they can rape the nation. They don’t care about citizens. They are here to make money and take yours.
Conservatism is an oil drill trying to drill entire countries.
Trump should tax the chickens and deport the ones who don’t produce eggs. That’ll scare the others to ramp up production. Trickle down theory for the win. /s
Supporters, however, downplayed price hikes, suggesting cheaper alternatives like instant coffee.
Supporters, however, downplayed price hikes, suggesting cheaper alternatives like instant coffee.
FFS. How many times were the Democrats and others declared “elitist” and “out of touch” when they pointed to ACTUAL indicators of a good economy under Biden?
Now, when prices jump, they are telling people to drink gawdawful shit like Taster’s Choice? Gosh, that doesn’t sound like mansplaining or paternalistic or elitist or all the other things I was told the Democrats supposedly were being…
I bet that fucker Kilmeade who I’m sure is being paid millions per year to be stupid on television is not going to be drinking shitty coffee himself. Everyone else can eat cake, though.
What are the actual indicators of a good economy?
The billionaires were making a LOT of money.
Not all instant coffee is terrible. There’s a wide variety in quality there just like with full beans.
Also keep in mind that the average American is used to shit like Folger’s in a Mr. Coffee, a Keurig K-cup, or the burnt espresso from Starbucks.
So you’re saying instant is good when you’re comparing it to fecal soup? Not really selling it, here.
There totally is good instant coffee!
Made with good beans, that need to be imported fresh. So… Probably even more expensive, since it’s those good beans, plus some additional processing for the novelty/longevity…
Yep. Here in colombia the instant coffee is much more popular and it tastes exactly the same as normal brewed coffee (as long as you buy a good brand).
Can you (or others) please provide a couple examples of good instant? I am completely serious. I have a trip coming up where the coffee might be terrible or non-existent. I’d like to bring some [quality] instant just in case.
The good instant espressos I’ve had were typically directly from the roaster. I’m a big fan of Black and White roasters out of North Carolina, and they have good instant.
I also have had really good instant from a site called loveluminous, but they’re a bit strange. It’s a drop store, so you can only order on Fridays, and you have to sign up to get a code sent to you.
Anyway, look for independent roasters of moderate size, you never know what some of them may carry.
The Starbucks Via Instant Coffee packets are decent and very convenient. Also, coffee expert James Hoffman reviews easily-available instant coffees for when you have absolutely nothing but hot water:
Yes, I already have some SB and will likely bring it, but I was hoping for other suggestions. I appreciate your link to Mr Hoffman and I enjoyed the video. Ultimately, I found a brand called Black Coffee Roasting Company. I’ll bring those and the SB on the trip. Thank you again.
BTW, I normally drink Dillanos. Their double-French roast is one of the best coffees I’ve had. I don’t drink SB much anymore.
That’s not at all what I’m saying.
I swear no one on the internet has any reading comprehension skills anymore. Either that or everyone purposely assumes the worst interpretation of everything because they want to talk shit.
I was saying that just like regular beans, there are a variety of instant options as well on the market. Just because Walmart stocks terrible options, that doesn’t mean there aren’t others available. We’re not talking about the pompous assholes that can’t stop talking about their home espresso machine, fancy grinding habits, magical aero press, or how to properly do a pour over.
Most people just use the cheap stuff, the quick K-cup, or the Starbucks drive thru on the way to work because THEY DON’T GIVE A FUCK, they just want their caffeine. So that’s what you need to compare against.
Mate, I didn’t have anything more useful to say, so I went something funny. Your last sentence did kinda come across as “these swill-drinking bastards can’t recognize good coffee anyway,” but I apologize if I stressed you out or hit a nerve. If it seems I put no effort into reading/replying to your comment, it’s because I didn’t. Have a good day, bud.
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Where did I say Starbucks didn’t use beans? I’ll wait…
I said Starbucks burns their shit. It’s the McDonald’s of coffee. Speed, quantity, and consistency across tens of thousands of locations worldwide at the lowest cost possible; quality is not a primary factor. It’s why their business is focused around hiding the crap coffee with milk and syrup.
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“fecal soup” is pretty much what civet-poop coffee is, and it’s quite expensive!
Not all instant coffee is terrible. There’s a wide variety in quality there just like with full beans.
That’s true. Consumers have more choices and better options than in the past. But comparing it to pretty much any brand whole bean, ground fresh and properly extracted, absolutely not. No comparison. I would take Starbucks, Keurig (there’s a ton of varieties, many decent), or Folgers any day over an instant…
Instant coffee isn’t shamed here in colombia. It’s actually the most popular way to drink it. It’s prepared extra sweet with no milk and they call it tinto.
That’s great and all, but taking away an option and saying “the other option is good so why bother getting upset about it” is minimalizing the core issue. International tariffs are going to reduce consumer options and artificially raise prices.
That’s totally ignoring the ethical sourcing issues with coffee as well. Specialty coffee companies have been working directly with growers in countries like Colombia, Peru, Uganda, Indonesia, etc. to give them fair wages and to combat monopoly pricing in the industry. I’ve spent $100 on a drum roaster to be able to buy green coffee from responsible companies that pay farmers a living wage. In the end, my home-roasted coffee costs less per pound than Great Value brand pre-ground coffee from Walmart. So now if buying green coffee gets too expensive, I’m expected to go from roasting for my own taste preference, grinding fresh beans, and brewing espresso…to instant coffee. Which in the United States is almost universally bitter dark roasted coffee with no regionally distinct tastes.
Interesting. I don’t hate instant coffee, but never really buy it either except for the occasional tiny jar of decaf to keep on hand if Grandma visits (that is her jam lol).
The Simpsons reference was more toward the “cheaper alternatives” mentioned in the same quote, though.
I just bought some, but only as an ingredient for yogurt and bread. Maybe a bbq rub
Instant coffee which is made from instant and not from coffee?
Those maga dead brains really know how to solve problems.
I like different coffee for different purposes. Instant coffee is mostly made from commodity coffee and blends in Robusta (which I don’t like, personally).
That said, in a pinch, or if I can’t be bothered with the whole shebang of a pour over or espresso. Mix in a little milk and sweetener and it’s quite enjoyable.
That all being said, this is some mega MAGA copium they’re pumping out.
With the tariffs you’ll be settling for Columbia’s Shame instead.
There’s only one way to lower prices. Extremely aggressive government action that will never happen, especially under a Trump adminstration.
First, they would have to hold Congressional hearings and drag the CEOs of these large corporations in front of the House to explain why their profit margins are going up far faster than normal inflation pressures should dictate, and why this trend started during the COVID pandemic. Let these CEOs try to explain away the price gouging and the profiteering. Hold CEOs in contempt if they refuse to answer or give one of those meaningless word salads of buzzwords meant to say a whole lot of nothing, and actually start jailing these bastards for 30 days for trying to tiptoe around it.
Tax profit margins that are above 2019 levels for the industry at 100%. If the average profit margin for the industry in 2019 was 5% and your company suddenly has a 10% margin in 2024, then tax that additional 5% at a 100% tax rate. Make price gouging both illegal and pointless since the government would just take it all anyway.
When CEOs start having to make regular trips to Washington to explain why their profits keep skyrocketing and the government comes in to take all that excess profit anyway, and watch prices come back down.
This, but retroactively as well.
Eggs… Now coffee… TIL conservatives hate breakfast.
It’s because those gays run bed and breakfasts, up next on the docket for conservatives are beds.
Yeah, these zellenials spending all their time eating avocado taquitos on their memory foam mattresses are destroying the economy. In my day, we slept on asbestos and mouse poop mats and we liked it.
Columbia’s biggest export to the U.S. is crude oil. So oil prices higher from Canada, this would have been higher oil prices from Columbia… But I believe he didn’t do the tarrifs. Guys a dumbass
Well, we’re only 8 days in. Still plenty of time for him to tariff all of our tits off.
So… wait. A conservative laid out a rug, somehow got themselves elected, and then…. pulled it? As a big fan of rugs, I must say that I am very upset by this.
