The Washington Post is attempting to shift blame for Americans’ concerns about rising food prices away from President Joe Biden’s inflationary policies and onto grocery stores, claiming that they are the primary culprit.
Over the past three years, the media, in alignment with the Biden administration, has consistently downplayed inflation, which has not dipped below zero percent since Biden took office. The narrative presented by the media suggested that inflation was “cooling” and “falling,” easing the financial burdens on voters.
It was only in 2024, when President Biden’s prolonged poor performance began affecting his standing in national polls, that corporate media started acknowledging the impact of persistently high prices on families at grocery stores.
Grocery Stores Accused of Selling at High Prices (Credits: The Washington Post)
An article in The Washington Post questioned, “Inflation has fallen. Why are groceries still so expensive?” The authors cited “labor shortages” and “ongoing supply chain disruptions” resulting from prolonged government-mandated lockdowns, as well as factors such as “droughts,” “avian flu,” and even Americans’ “demand for food” as reasons for expensive shopping trips.
The narrative, according to experts and outlets sympathetic to the Biden administration, implies that inflation is the fault of consumers themselves. The article even suggests that Americans’ preferences for higher-quality specialty goods and organic items contribute to the persistent demand for certain foods.
During an MSNBC appearance, one of the authors credited routine economic disruptions like natural disasters and international conflicts for the surge in prices since 2020.
However, in both written content and on television, the authors avoided acknowledging Biden’s inflationary policies or the significant spending initiatives signed into action by Democrats.
Instead, the authors continued to support the Biden administration by publishing statements from White House spokesman Michael Kikukawa, who called for ongoing pressure on corporations to absorb costs and provide relief to consumers.
Kikukawa asserted, “The Administration is cracking down on exploitative and anti-competitive behavior in meat and poultry markets, supporting state law enforcement efforts to stop practices that raise food prices, and pursuing all available avenues to lower grocery prices for families.”
The article also echoed claims from the White House Council of Economic Advisers, without providing links or written evidence, that “grocery store profit margins remain higher than their pre-pandemic levels.”
