Inflation in the United States: The price of the Mexican burrito causes indigestion in Donald Trump’s party

Is the burrito to Donald Trump what the brioche was to Marie Antoinette? The fair price of this Mexican dish has become one of the hottest political issues for the American right.

The debate is causing indigestion within the president’s Republican Party, which fears that discontent over the high cost of living will cost him in the November midterm elections.

The burrito is a wheat tortilla filled with rice, meat, beans, and other ingredients, and is usually eaten by hand. Many Americans consider it a filling and affordable option.

But not so much anymore, according to Andrew Kolvet, spokesperson for the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA (TPUSA).

“One of our TPUSA college students shared his take on the cost of living: ‘A burrito shouldn’t cost $20.’ Admittedly, much of this is a hangover from COVID and Biden-era inflation, but the everyday experience is the same: the feeling that basic things cost too much,” Kolvet said in a viral post on X this week.

Burritos are one of the most popular Mexican foods in the United States and around the world.

In Washington, a take-out burrito cost between $6.50 and $13.50 on Friday at two popular fast-food chains, depending on the ingredients.

Some conservatives questioned the price and accused young Americans of having expensive tastes, while others defended the burrito and warned of potential political repercussions.

“Instant Noodles”

Republican Congressman Dan Crenshaw advised young people in X to “eat instant noodles,” as he himself did in his college days.

Also in X, Marc Thiessen, a former advisor to President George W. Bush and current columnist, criticized students for “whining.”

“When I graduated, I lived on noodles,” he noted. “I didn’t complain (…), I worked hard so that one day I could afford a better life.”

This prompted a sharp rebuttal from Vice President JD Vance. “If you meet him in person, it will be quite obvious that this man has never gone without a burrito,” wrote the man considered one of Trump’s potential successors, alluding to the columnist’s physique.

Trump reiterated this week that inflation had fallen in the United States and denied any impact of his tariff policy on prices.

But in a recent Marquette University poll, more than a third of respondents (35%) cited the cost of living as their biggest concern, far surpassing, for example, the war in Iran.

In Washington, a takeout burrito cost between $6.50 and $13.50 on Friday at two popular fast-food chains, depending on the ingredients. (AP Photo)

This burrito debate confirms Republicans’ unease with inflation, which reached 3.7% year-over-year in June.

Salmon Burgers

Fox News, a favorite among Republicans, is even talking about a “civil war” within the party.

On one side are the proponents of a purely free market economy, with little inclination toward interventionist economic policies. They believe the government should allow prices to fluctuate freely and recommend that Americans cook at home to reduce expenses.

The other side believes that this ultraliberal rhetoric could diminish any appeal for voters to support Republican candidates in November.

They fear a kind of “Marie Antoinette effect,” to whom the famous phrase “Let them eat brioche!” was erroneously attributed, supposedly directed at the starving people of Paris who were demanding bread during the revolution.

The Queen of France never uttered those words, but the expression has become a symbol of the disconnect between the elites and the hardships faced by the population.

Coincidentally, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has just launched a cooking show in which he proposes recipes that he claims are healthy and inexpensive.

In his first episode, he presented salmon burgers with salad, which he estimated would cost $5 per person. However, several observers immediately questioned that estimate.

The nephew of assassinated President John F. Kennedy, according to the American press, follows a less frugal diet, consisting largely of red meat.