The following is a news analysis
“Trump lies about price of turkey.”
Not really.
But now that I have your attention: if President Trump had made the same statement the Biden White House just made about the price of turkey, that would have undoubtedly been the headline that raced around the world. Yet no such response when it was Biden’s spokesman.
At a news conference, White House spokesman Jen Psaki falsely claimed that a 20-pound turkey costs just a dollar more this year.
We in the press corps aren’t known for being good at math, but still I was surprised nobody corrected her on the spot.
Many news reports and economic data have been saying that turkey costs about 25% more this year than last year.
I visited my local grocery store today to see what turkey costs there. It was $1.99/pound (about $40 for a 20-pounder). Assuming that’s a 25% increase over last year, I paid about $1.60/pound in 2020 ($32 for a 20-pound bird). Check my math, but by my calculation, the difference in price this year for a 20-pound turkey is $8.00, not the $1.00 that Psaki claimed.
I also found a report that said the turkey price increase is slightly smaller: more like 22% ($1.15/pound 2020; $1.41/pound 2021). The 26-cent/pound difference is 22% of $1.15.
Even assuming the smaller price increase, the whole turkey is over $5.00 more expensive this year. Psaki’s $1.00 number is nowhere near on target, and completely understates the higher cost of a 20-pound turkey.
The only way her figure is accurate is if the price of turkey increased by just a nickel a pound, and I couldn’t find any authority saying that’s the case.
I don’t think Psaki is lying. (Some of you know I don’t typically use the word “lying” to refer to misstatements and even inaccuracies by newsmakers, because it would require me to read the mind of the newsmaker and claim to know knowledge and intent.) Maybe she doesn’t do the family’s grocery shopping. And I think she’s probably just not great at math– she’s far from alone.
But I think few doubt that if the Trump White House had made the same claim, media “fact checks” claiming he’s a liar would have circulated the globe faster than a pumpkin pie disappears after Thanksgiving dinner.
Psaki on the increased cost of Thanksgiving this year: Turkey is only “about one dollar more.” pic.twitter.com/BP59ysk7Rz
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) November 23, 2021
