Des Moines, IA — President Trump is scheduled to give a speech in Des Moines this afternoon, where he will reportedly focus on the economy and affordability. During Trump’s first year in office, food prices and farm economic insecurity have skyrocketed.

In response, Food & Water Watch Senior Food Policy Analyst Rebecca Wolf issued the following statement:

“President Trump has not delivered on his promise of affordability — not to our families and not to our farmers. Instead, Trump is building a food system where only the rich can thrive in our society. As pointless trade wars trap farmers into untenable economic paralysis, only the largest corporate players benefit from Trump’s so-called bailout. And while food prices rise, Trump’s cuts to SNAP are leaving millions hungry.

“We know that breaking corporate concentration is the key to affordable food. That means moving farmers off the commodity crop treadmill, enforcing anti-trust laws to give producers a fair shot, and rewarding sustainable, humane food production models.”

According to a report from the Joint Economic Committee Minority, a typical American family paid $310 more overall for groceries last year compared to 2024. This, as Trump’s Big Ugly Bill slashed funding for SNAP benefits, eliminating federal food assistance for 5 million people, including 800,000 children and 23,000 Iowans.

Meanwhile, farmers are reeling from Trump’s tariff tantrum and rollback of antitrust enforcement. Trump is set to repeat the destruction of his first term trade war, after which recent Food & Water Watch analysis found farm bankruptcies 24% increased from 2018 to 2019. Then as now, federal bailout funds flowed to the largest operations and multinational corporations. This, as Trump abandons antitrust efforts including rescinding proposed Packers & Stockyards Act rulemakings designed to promote competition.