Trump and "Groceries"

During the presidential campaign, inflation and the cost of everyday goods — especially eggs — were a major campaign issue. Cult leader, convicted felon, and failed President Donald Trump made repeated promises to bring down costs. The fact that this commitment directly conflicted with another major campaign promise — to apply widespread tariffs that would increase the cost of imports — never seemed to bother Trump, his supporters, or most of the media. The fact of the matter was that when Americans went to the grocery store, they encountered increased prices. This provided an opening that the Trump campaign was eager to exploit.

So eager was the campaign to stress the cost of food that J. D. Vance once conducted a photo-op in a grocery store complaining that the price of eggs was $4. Unfortunately for Vance, he was standing in front of an egg display where the $2.99 price tag was clearly visible. Bumbling photo-ops were sort of a Vance specialty, especially where food was concerned. He had an unnecessarily difficult time ordering donuts in a shop in Georgia while an employee repeatedly told him she didn't want to be photographed. In one of his first campaign appearances, Vance attempted to prove his Appalachian bone fides by saying, "I had a diet Mountain Dew yesterday and one today". If anything, that remark (especially mentioning that it was "diet") made Vance seem out-of-touch rather than true to his family roots. Both Trump and Vance — one a billionaire and the other a multi-millionaire — wanted to relate to voters and show that they understood the challenges normal people were facing. Generally, however, these attempts had the opposite effect.

"The word ‘grocery,’ it’s a sort of simple word. But it sort of means, like, everything you eat. The stomach is speaking, it always does. And I have more complaints about that ― bacon, and things going up double, triple, quadruple."

   — cult leader, convicted felon, and failed President Donald Trump, October 10, 2024.

Trump, to put it mildly, is not the most articulate of speakers. The fact that he felt a need to define the word "grocery" was perhaps not unusual because Trump tends to ramble and speak about whatever comes into his mind. Nobody really expects him to make much sense. But the fact remains that "grocery" does not mean "everything you eat". Looking back, it is likely that someone told Trump that he should emphasize the price of groceries and he reacted as if he had been asked to explain computational mathematics. Trump probably has never once made a trip to a grocery store in order to actually buy groceries. In his mind, food gets to your table because you have asked a waiter to bring it to you. Trump, like Vance, attempted to show that he understood the concerns of struggling voters, but actually demonstrated just how unconnected he was to their actual lives.

But, Trump's fixation on the word "grocery" or "groceries" did not end there. After the election, he brought it up again saying:

"I won on groceries ... It's a very simple word. Who uses the word? I started using the word. The groceries. When you buy apples, when you buy bacon, when you buy eggs." 

He brought it up again in March, saying, "The cost of groceries. A word that I used a lot on the campaign. It's like an old fashioned word, but it's a beautiful word, very descriptive word." In what world is the word "groceries" an old-fashioned word? A week later, Trump returned to the same theme saying, "I haven't used the word 'groceries.' It's like an old fashioned word. But really it's not. And people understand it. And I campaigned very hard on groceries." "People" may understand "groceries", but it is pretty clear that Trump does not. Trump was not done there. When announcing new tariffs, Trump got sidetracked onto groceries, saying, "An old fashioned term that we use -- groceries. I used it on the campaign. It's such an old fashioned term, but a beautiful term. Groceries. It says a bag with different things in it." Needless to say, "groceries" is not old fashioned and it is not a "bag with different things in it".

Most recently, while meeting with United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Trump again compulsively needed to explain what is meant by "groceries". Speaking in front of the press, Trump stated:

"We have a term 'groceries.' It's an old term but it means basically what you're buying, food, it's a pretty accurate term but it's an old fashioned sound but groceries are down."

To be fair, a member of the Abu Dhabi's royal family probably hasn't done a significant amount of grocery shopping either and, as English is at least his second language, he could be excused for having a less-than-perfect vocabulary. Nevertheless, I am confident in saying that the Emirati President did not need to have "groceries" explained to him. While "groceries" continues not to be an "old fashioned sound" or an "old term", at least Trump is getting a little closer with his definition.

It is easy to joke and laugh at Trump for being out of touch. He is just a rich guy who doesn't know how normal people live. But, at what point does this stop being funny and point to actual neurological problems? There has been a lot of focus on the mental acuity of former President Joe Biden with allegations that his staff covered up for him. But imagine the reaction if Biden had said, not once, but repeatedly that the word "groceries" is old-fashioned? This is not just the fact that Trump doesn't know what "groceries" means or that it is a current and commonly-used word, it is notable that he seems incapable of learning. How many times must he have been told by now that "groceries" is not old-fashioned? And, if he has not been told, why not? Why does he think that most people don't know what "groceries" means and that he has to explain it to them? Surely this demonstrates that, mentally, Trump is not all there?

For at least eight months, Trump has appeared convinced that most Americans don't know the meaning of "groceries". During that time, Trump himself has not been able to properly explain the term. For reasons that nobody can seem to explain, he is convinced that the term is old-fashioned. It is easy to write this off as the eccentricity of an old, rich guy. But that old, rich guy is our current President. With all of the hand-wringing about a former president, shouldn't there be some concern about the mental capabilities of the man who now occupies the Oval Office? If Trump cannot learn the meaning of "groceries", how confident should we be that he properly understands "mutually assured destruction" or even "democratically elected representative"? Trump consistently asserts that foreign nations will pay U.S.-imposed tariffs while, in fact, tariffs are paid by the importers and almost certainly passed on to U.S. consumers. On the face of it, this seems to be a political tactic aimed at hoodwinking the rubes, but could Trump simply not be capable of understanding the facts? Are we currently being led by a man who lacks the capacity to understand simple words and basic facts? Trump's fixation on groceries may not be the joke that many treat it as, but rather a flashing red alarm warning us about Trump's current neurological condition.