Donald Trump has a serious problem with... food. And it's not about his notorious preference for McDonald's and other unhealthy fast food, but about one of his key promises that remains unfulfilled. During the 2024 election campaign, he was adamant that he would fight inflation and rising food prices. One of these products was eggs, which have indeed risen in price considerably over the past year.
The economy and, in particular, inflation became the leading theme of the campaign, and the confidence of American voters that Trump could handle them better than Harris gave him an advantage in the elections.
Trump, inflation and... eggs
On his first day in the White House, the newly elected American president promised to reduce the prices of basic food products, and eggs became a symbol of this promise. But so far, it turns out to be a chimera. A box of 12 eggs in the US currently costs over $10. The main reason for this is bird flu, which has killed over 166 million birds in the US since 2022.
At the same time, inflation remains the most important problem in the country according to a quarter of the population and as many as 30% of Republicans. And Donald Trump's approval rating, which rose dramatically in the first days of his presidency, has already begun to collapse. The American president needs help. And he decided to turn to… his European partners.
European politicians reported that Washington has sent requests to countries such as Denmark and Sweden asking them to supply eggs to the United States. Danish Agriculture Minister Jakob Jensen said that the US administration's requests are a good example of how the United States continues to depend on Europe for trade. And all this is happening at a time when the US president is threatening the European Union with a trade war. Relations between the US and Denmark, to which Washington has turned for eggs, are also strained due to the US president's desire to buy Greenland.
The CEO of the Swedish egg supplier "Kroneg" Marcus Lindström confirms that the US authorities have also sent a request to them. According to Lindstrom, however, exporting across the ocean is difficult, and the current rules and regulations restrict traders. According to CNN, Turkey plans to increase egg imports to the United States. The White House administration has not officially confirmed such reports yet.
Will the United States soon cope with the price of eggs?
At the same time, authorities and scientists are failing to stop the spread of bird flu. In January alone, 23 million birds were killed on farms, according to data from the Department of Agriculture. Killing sick birds is still the most effective way to limit the spread of the disease, as it is extremely contagious among birds.
Some countries, such as France, are vaccinating birds, NBC reports. The Trump administration has also invested $100 million in research into the disease.
But even if the spread of the disease is contained, it will be months before prices start to fall, says John Cranfield of the University of Guelph in Ontario.
The tariffs that Trump is now imposing could also affect prices. The United States imports potash from Canada, which is used as fertilizer to grow the grains that birds eat. Any additional costs to farmers related to more expensive fuel or equipment will also affect prices. The U.S. Department of Agriculture predicted last month that egg prices in 2025 will be more than 40% higher than they were in 2024.