Former president and Republican nominee Donald Trump held a press conference from his golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey, on Aug. 15. During the conference, Trump stood next to a table covered with various groceries and spent time talking about the economic policies under the Biden administration that have led to higher food prices.
One quote appearing to stem from the press conference and attributed to Trump has gone viral on social media.
"You used to be able to get cereal for 20, 30 bucks a pound. Now it's at least a hundred dollars a pound, probably. They debit it straight from your account when you show them your grocery ID,” Trump is quoted as saying in this X post..
The quote has been shared repeatedly along with an image of Trump standing next to the same groceries that were on display during the Aug. 15 press conference.
VERIFY readers Colleen and Bonnie asked if Trump really said cereal now costs $100 a pound.
THE QUESTION
Did Trump say that cereal now costs "$100 a pound."
THE SOURCES
- C-SPAN broadcast of Trump’s Aug. 15 press conference
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index
- X posts from user @MyNameHear
THE ANSWER
No, the quote attributed to Trump claiming that cereal now costs “$100 a pound” is fake.
WHAT WE FOUND
The quote attributed to Trump about cereal costing $100 per pound is fabricated and a parody of the former president.
During his Aug. 15 press conference, Trump did mention cereal prices once while talking about the economy. He did not mention the price per pound of cereal, nor did he mention currently needing a grocery “ID,” though Trump has in the past claimed a person needs identification to buy groceries.
He mentions the cereal prices and prices of other household groceries about five minutes into the press conference.
This is what Trump actually said during the news conference: “Young people are being devastated by what they have done to our country. Grocery prices have skyrocketed. Cereals are up 26%. Bread is up 24%. Butter is up 37%. Baby formula is up 30%. Flour is up 38% and eggs are up 46%. And many items are up at much higher rates than that.”
There has been a 25% increase in price for cereals and bakery products since January 2021 when President Joe Biden took office and July 2024, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index data. Cereals and bakery products are grouped together as one category.
So where did the fake quote come from?
X user @MyNameHear posted the fake quote with the photo of Trump on Aug. 16. Using X’s advance search function, VERIFY found this post is the earliest instance it was posted to the platform. @MyNameHear also shared X posts that seem to confirm they are the original creator of the parody quote.
In comments on the post, @MyNameHear admitted it's a parody. VERIFY reached out to @MyNameHear and did not hear back at the time of publication.
In 2018, Trump did erroneously claim a person needs identification to buy groceries. He made the claim while speaking at an event in Tampa, Florida, and mentioned having an ID when you grocery shop when he was talking about voter ID laws.
“If you go out and you want to buy groceries, you need a picture on a card, you need ID,” he said. “You go out and you want to buy anything, you need ID and you need your picture.”
Then-Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said his comments were about voter ID laws and the importance of election integrity. She said when Trump made reference to having to show ID at a grocery store, that does apply to certain items, like alcohol.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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