By Brendan Scanland
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Eggs are more than a breakfast essential. In today’s political climate, they’ve become a go-to symbol for the cost of living — and a way for lawmakers and candidates to butter up the electorate.
According to United Egg Producers, U.S. table egg production totaled 93.1 billion in 2024. And with the average American consuming about 270 eggs last year, or roughly 22.5 dozen per person, it’s safe to say eggs are an essential part of the American diet.
But in recent months, they’ve been fueling more than our morning plates.
“I said, what’s going on with eggs,” said President Trump.
“The price of eggs in the United States of America is out of control,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) at a press conference earlier this year.
“They hit me with eggs,” said Trump. “Eggs were through the roof. And now eggs are down 35%.”
“People are literally smuggling eggs across the border from Mexico,” said Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D).
“You can have all the eggs you want. We have too many eggs,” said Trump.
But what exactly is it about the protein-packed, oval-shaped shells produced by hardworking hens that make them such a key talking point in today’s political landscape?
“Egg prices really speak to the bread and butter — to use another pun — of what Americans are facing,” said Dr. Todd Belt, professor and director of the Political Management Master’s Program at George Washington University.
At the checkout line, Americans aren’t just counting calories — they’re counting every penny. And when egg prices crack records, politicians seize the chance to poach the issue for political points.
“It allows them to attack their competitor by saying, ‘You haven’t been getting things done. Look at what is happening at the price of eggs.’ It allows them to put their finger on one specific thing,” Belt said.
Belt says eggs are the perfect political prop — simple, relatable and impossible to ignore when you open the fridge.
“Politicians are always trying to explain why things are bad under someone else or good under them. This is something they can point to, and people can verify it when they go to the grocery store,” he said.
It’s an issue that lets politicians crack into broader debates on the cost of living — turning groceries into political currency, with hopes of frying their competition.
At the end of the day, eggs are more than protein-packed shells. They’re ballot box barometers.
