This letter ran in The Ellsworth American and the Mount Desert Islander, Aug. 24, 2026, and in the Island Advantages, Aug. 27, 2026.
To the Editor:
Donald Trump swept into office for a second term two years ago on promises that he would reduce Americans’ economic pain, particularly at the grocery checkout line.
We were already paying higher prices from Covid’s disruptions to the food supply chain and the avian flu crisis that destroyed flocks, causing egg prices to skyrocket. The promise to help our pocketbooks was a pledge millions of voters banked on.
So what happened under Donald Trump?
Take the price of beef. Cattle herds in the U.S. were at a 75-year low when he took office, with no way to quickly turn that around, which is why so much of our beef is imported. Trump’s tariffs only added to problems that caused our beef prices to jump 20% since January of last year.
And your morning coffee? Virtually all of it is imported, since we don’t have the climate to produce it. That didn’t stop Trump from slapping on tariffs, contributing to a 35% surge in prices after he took office.
Then there’s America’s favorite confection, chocolate. The price of cocoa and imported chocolate was already rising because of climate-related problems and aging trees in cocoa regions. Like coffee, the U.S. is in no position to produce its own. So those with a sweet tooth felt extra pain when Trump put tariffs on cocoa products. Chocolate prices are up more than 14% on his watch.
Trump ended up rolling back some of the tariffs, but the damage was done.
Meantime, his immigration dragnets have affected farms across the country. In a recent study by the United Farm Workers Foundation, 92% of the more than 2,000 farmworkers surveyed said raids and deportations had affected their employment. Many are afraid to show up for work. When crops go unpicked, you pay more for your produce.
These increases might not mean much to Trump and his billionaire circle, but they added up painfully for Americans trying to balance their budgets.
We need a return to sensible policies and representatives whose priorities are on working Americans. Please support Troy Jackson, Matt Dunlap, Hannah Pingree and your local Democrats.
Marcia Myers
Deer Isle