Comicomment: Steak shrinks, bills rise

Under the slogan of “America First,” the U.S. government has been raising tariffs across the board. But instead of delivering on its promises, this policy has backfired—pushing up inflation, disrupting supply chains, and shaking the global trade order. What was meant as a show of strength has instead become a key source of uncertainty for the world economy.

Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts highlighted the impact with stark numbers: during Trump’s presidency, the price of coffee jumped 26%, beef 14%, oranges 17%, bananas 6%, chicken 6%, cookies 5%, potato chips 4%, and milk 4%. Yet the average worker’s pay only crept up by 2%. As she put it, “Trumpflation is eating up your paycheck.” In other words, the costs of everyday life rose much faster than people’s earnings, eroding real income.

Now, the drama of tariffs is no longer confined to policy debates or trade negotiations—it has reached the dinner tables of ordinary Americans. When families sit down to eat, they discover that their steak portions have shrunk while their bills have swelled, as if they were forced to order a costly “Tariff Set Menu.” This shrinking steak is more than a culinary metaphor—it captures the reality of tighter family budgets, reduced purchasing power, and the steady erosion of living standards brought on by tariff-driven inflation.