Under Trump, food and travel costs have risen dramatically 

This Memorial Day weekend, millions of Americans are preparing for the traditional summer kickoff to be more expensive than ever. Donald Trump’s reckless trade war and unpopular war of choice with Iran have caused the cost of groceries and travel to rise dramatically over the past year, meaning that Americans are now choosing between stretching their savings or changing their holiday weekend plans altogether. 

In response, DNC Rapid Response Director Kendall Witmer released the following statement:

“Because of Donald Trump, Americans can’t afford a well-deserved holiday weekend. Trump’s reckless trade war, and now his deadly and costly war with Iran, have shot up prices on everything from groceries to gas, forcing working families to choose between stretching their budgets or canceling their holiday weekend plans altogether. Yet when asked about Americans’ thinning budgets, Trump said, ‘I don’t think about Americans’ financial situations, I don’t think about anybody.’ It couldn’t be more clear than that.”

A Memorial Day barbecue could cost over 11% more this year compared to last year, driven by steep increases in staple items: tomatoes have risen 39.7%, ground beef by 14.5%, and hot dogs by 10.7%. 

Skyrocketing global oil prices as a result of Trump’s war with Iran have also caused travel costs to soar heading into the holiday weekend. Gas prices are up 50%, pushing the national average to $4.56 a gallon, the second-highest average heading into Memorial Day weekend over the last ten years. Plus, the average round-trip flight is up 8% since the start of Trump’s war with Iran, and up 19% since April 2025. 

According to a new forecast, this summer is expected to be the most expensive summer at the pump in years, and 67.4% of Americans say gas prices are impacting their summer travel plans. Despite that, Trump just yesterday said, “I’m in no hurry” to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.