Trump agriculture secretary’s idea for money-saving meal prompts derision | Trump administration

The US agriculture secretary, Brooke Rollins, is facing ridicule from congressional Democrats – among others – after claiming Americans can save money and have their meals align with new Department of Health and Human Services dietary guidelines by simply eating “a piece of chicken, a piece of broccoli”, “a corn tortilla” and “one other thing”.

One representative even called the remarks “a slap in the face to struggling working families”.

Rollins made the remarks during an interview with NewsNation in response to a question about how average Americans will afford adapting their meals to the White House’s updated food pyramid, which emphasizes red meat, full-fat dairy and saturated fats while discouraging ultra-processed foods and sugar. The rising cost of groceries has been a major issue for Americans in recent years.

“How does cost play into this?” host Connell McShane asked. “And I guess the reason I ask is that I’m thinking back to the [consumer price index] report that just came out, and although inflation overall, as you know, kind of held steady, 2.7% an annual rate on the consumer level, we did see grocery [prices], especially month to month, jumping up. And so it still costs people a lot to go to the grocery store. When is that gonna change?”

Rollins answered: “I think the question you’re asking, and it’s a really important one, is while we’re asking Americans to reconsider what they’re eating, are we actually asking Americans – especially those who are living on the margins – are we asking them to spend more on their diet?

“And the answer to that is no,” she continued. “We’ve run over 1,000 simulations. It can cost around $3 a meal for a piece of chicken, a piece of broccoli, you know, a corn tortilla and one other thing. So there is a way to do this that actually will save the average American consumer money.”

Rollins also claimed that food prices were decreasing, saying, “The cost of groceries are actually coming down,” before adding: “There was a little blip at the end of the year because it’s the holiday, and a lot of people are spending a lot more money at the grocery store. But the actual overall numbers are coming down, from eggs, to chicken, to pork, to milk, to broccoli.”

Data from the consumer price index, as referenced by McShane, showed that food prices kept rising in December, increasing by 0.7%, the biggest month-to-month jump since October 2022. Prices for produce rose 0.5%, coffee increased by 1.9%, and beef went up 1% over the month and 16.4% compared with a year earlier.

Clips from the interview spread rapidly online, prompting Democrats to seize on Rollins’s remarks as evidence that the administration is disconnected from the average American.

The social media account run by Democrats on the House ways and means committee replied to one video clip with an AI-generated image of a cafeteria tray divided into four compartments. The tray showed a small piece of chicken, a lone piece of broccoli and a tiny corn tortilla.

The final compartment featured a foil-wrapped rectangle labeled “MYSTERY ITEM?” with a larger question mark beneath it.

Representative Ted Lieu had a similar idea, writing: “Trump’s Secretary of Agriculture says Americans can afford this delicious $3 meal. Prices are going up, and the Administration’s suggestion is for Americans to eat ‘a piece of chicken, a piece of broccoli, corn tortilla, and one other thing.’ Yum!” He included a photo of the measly meal along with a peppermint candy.

The Colorado congressman Jason Crow also posted his version of the dish, captioned: “Trump gets a gold-plated new ballroom. You get a piece of chicken, broccoli, and one corn tortilla.”

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse replied to Rollins’ comments, saying: “Could that ‘one other thing’ be wondering why costs have gone up so much under Trump that Americans are supposed to follow a chicken/broccoli/tortilla diet? (Is that on the menu at Mar-a-Lago?)”

Senator Ed Markey called out Rollins’s words as being detached from the reality many Americans currently face. “The Trump administration is completely out of touch with the challenges families are facing,” he wrote. “They have no idea how much dinner costs, no interest in actually making groceries affordable, and no clue how to make ends meet.”

Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal referred to Rollins’s shopping suggestions as a “slap in the face to struggling working families”.

Former transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg’s husband, Chasten, chimed in: “Private jets and tax breaks for them and their rich friends, and one piece of broccoli *AND* a tortilla for you!”

Novelist Anne Lamott also mocked the absurd description of the meal. “Can I get substitutions, as long as I keep the cost down? Like two spears of the broccoli? And a few corn chips instead of the tortilla?” she asked on social media.

Many users also referenced Marie Antoinette and her alleged famous phrase “Let them eat cake”, a symbol of the aristocracy’s callous disregard for the starving poor of France. It is not the first time the comparison has been made between the controversial French queen and the Trump administration, as the phrase was often brought up during the initial construction of Trump’s $300m ballroom.