U.S. President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union tackle on Feb. 24, 2026, in Washington, D.C.
Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Pictures
President Donald Trump mentioned in his State of the Union speech Tuesday night time that his administration’s insurance policies had been “quickly ending” excessive costs for sure meals, together with proteins within the U.S. eating regimen, like beef, rooster and eggs.
Nevertheless, costs for rooster and beef have elevated since Trump took workplace in January 2025.
Egg costs have certainly fallen considerably — however, like beef costs, have been influenced extra by provide and demand elements particular to these markets than federal coverage, based on agricultural economists.
The value strikes additionally come because the Trump administration mentioned it was “ending the conflict on protein” by saying new U.S. diet tips that emphasize protein, full-fat dairy and greens.
“President Trump is correct: inflation has cooled, and costs of many on a regular basis necessities have fallen or are on the proper trajectory,” White Home spokesman Kush Desai mentioned in an emailed assertion. “Your complete Administration stays laser-focused on delivering financial aid for the American folks.”
Beef costs have elevated throughout Trump’s second time period
Trump mentioned throughout his State of the Union tackle that beef costs are “beginning to come down considerably.”
Federal knowledge reveals that beef costs have began to say no in some circumstances, however stay close to multiyear or report highs.
Floor beef price $6.75 per pound, on common, in January — the best stage on report, based on knowledge from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Costs have elevated 22% over the previous 12 months, from $5.55 per pound in January 2025, when Trump began his second time period. That is the quickest annual inflation fee since June 2020, throughout Trump’s first time period in workplace.
Costs for different cuts of beef are additionally elevated, based on federal knowledge.
For instance, the worth of raw beef steaks was $12.30 per pound, on common, in January, down barely from an all-time excessive of $12.51 per pound in December, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics knowledge. Costs are up 13% over the previous 12 months.
Raw beef roasts price $8.82 per pound, on common, in January, down from a report excessive of $9.29 per pound in November. Common costs are up 14% previously 12 months.
Beef costs are “nonetheless up considerably” over the previous 12 months, mentioned Michael Swanson, chief agricultural economist on the Wells Fargo Agri-Meals Institute.
A latest decline in costs is “very poor comfort for most individuals,” Swanson mentioned.
Why beef costs are greater
At a excessive stage, beef costs have elevated because of decrease cattle provide and elevated demand amongst U.S. households, based on agricultural economists.
It is a “double whammy,” mentioned Charley Martinez, an assistant professor and director of the Division of Agricultural and Useful resource Economics on the College of Tennessee.
On the availability facet, the stock of U.S. cattle is at its lowest in many years, based on federal knowledge.
There have been 27.6 million beef cows within the U.S. as of Jan. 1, based on the U.S. Division of Agriculture. That is the lowest provide of those cows — that are earmarked for the meat market — since 1961, based on USDA historic knowledge tracked by Martinez.
There have been about 86.2 million general U.S. cattle — together with different varieties like these for milk manufacturing — as of Jan. 1, the bottom tally since 1951, based on USDA knowledge.
Many elements have contributed to the hanging decline within the U.S. cattle herd, Bernt Nelson, an economist on the American Farm Bureau Federation, a commerce group, wrote in October.
Persistent drought has precipitated “deteriorating” pasture circumstances for cows, Nelson wrote.
Good pasture circumstances decrease prices to boost cattle, whereas poor circumstances drive farmers and ranchers to ship in hay from different components of the nation, contributing to report prices to boost and feed cattle, he mentioned. Because of this, many farmers offered off feminine cows moderately than preserving them to supply calves, he mentioned.
“It is onerous to supply extra beef whenever you lack the cattle to try this,” mentioned Amy Smith, a meals economist at Superior Financial Options.
It additionally takes a very long time, about three years, to breed cows for the meat market, she mentioned.
In the meantime, demand for beef amongst U.S. households has elevated at the same time as costs have risen, economists mentioned.
The Retail All Recent Beef Demand Index in 2025 touched its highest ranges since no less than 2000, Martinez mentioned of USDA knowledge.
“Covid-19 and the entire pandemic drove lots of new demand,” Martinez mentioned. “Everybody turned yard grilling heroes. …There’s been this transformation within the style and choice for beef that we have by no means seen earlier than.”
Economists mentioned they do not imagine beef costs will proceed to fall within the close to time period because of supply-and-demand dynamics within the beef market.
The Trump administration has sought to spice up provide by means of insurance policies that incentivize beef imports from international locations similar to Argentina. Imports had been already at report highs in 2025, based on Nelson of the Farm Bureau.
Nevertheless, such market interventions have the “unintended consequence” of reducing costs paid to U.S. cattle farmers, Nelson wrote.
Elevated imports “would add one other barrier to rising the cattle herd and doubtlessly incentivize extra contraction within the cattle stock,” he wrote. “This might drive beef costs even greater and improve U.S. reliance on imported beef to satisfy home demand.”
Why egg costs have declined
Trump mentioned Tuesday that the worth of eggs is down 60%.
That determine is according to Bureau of Labor Statistics knowledge, which reveals the common worth for a dozen giant Grade A eggs has declined about 59% from March 2025 to $2.58 per dozen in January, from a report excessive of $6.23 per dozen.
Costs are down 48% from January 2025, after they had been $4.95 per dozen.
A lot of that decline is a reversion to extra typical costs following a provide shock triggered by a historic outbreak of hen flu, based on economists.
“We’re seeing outstanding drops [in price] from astounding highs,” mentioned Swanson of the Wells Fargo Agri-Meals Institute.
“Extremely pathogenic avian influenza,” extra generally often known as hen flu, propelled egg costs to dizzying highs in late 2024 and early 2025, economists mentioned.
The illness is extremely contagious and deadly for birds, together with chickens on business egg farms. To stop unfold, farmers should kill their total flock in the event that they detect a case, economists mentioned.
In all, tens of hundreds of thousands of egg-laying chickens died. For instance, greater than 38 million business egg-laying birds died in 2024, based on USDA knowledge tracked by the College of Arkansas. Over 20 million extra died in early 2025.
Since 2022, when the outbreak started, the U.S. has misplaced greater than 140 million egg-laying chickens, mentioned Smith of Superior Financial Options.
“You simply cannot rebound rapidly from that,” she mentioned.
Whereas the illness hasn’t disappeared, it to this point hasn’t been “almost as impactful” in late 2025 and into 2026, Smith mentioned.
Client demand has additionally seemingly fallen as costs surged, serving to to ease costs on the grocery retailer, she mentioned. Costs might rise over the subsequent a number of weeks because the Easter vacation approaches, which is just like the Tremendous Bowl for the egg business, she mentioned.
Hen costs
Trump additionally mentioned Tuesday that the price of rooster is “decrease as we speak than after I took workplace by loads.”
Nevertheless, common costs for rooster are up about 1% over the previous 12 months, based on the client worth index. Customers paid $4.17 per pound of boneless rooster breast in January, on common, up from $3.97 per pound a 12 months earlier, based on BLS knowledge.
Chook flu hasn’t had as important an impression on chickens raised for meat consumption as for chickens raised for egg manufacturing, economists mentioned.
