Senator J.D. Vance recently took aim at Vice President Kamala Harris, blaming her for rising grocery prices, particularly eggs. However, the message he intended to send was undermined by a contradictory price tag right behind him, catching the attention of sharp-eyed critics.
Vance made his remarks during a stop at a supermarket in Reading, Pennsylvania, where he sought to highlight what he described as the damaging effects of Harris’s policies on everyday Americans. According to CNN’s Kit Maher, Vance stood in front of the press while holding a carton of eggs, handed to him by one of his sons.
“Eggs, when Kamala Harris took office, were short of $1.50 a dozen,” Vance claimed. “Now a dozen eggs will cost you around $4. Thanks to Kamala Harris’s inflationary policies, Pennsylvania actually has seen some of the worst grocery price increases of the entire nation, and again, it’s because she cast a deciding vote on the Inflation Explosion Act.”
While Vance intended to paint a clear picture of inflation’s impact, internet users quickly pointed out a glaring discrepancy. Behind him was a sign showing the price for a dozen eggs at $2.99, about $1 less than what Vance stated. Additionally, he was holding a pack of 24 eggs, further weakening his argument, according to a count by the Washington Post.
Retired Naval Intelligence Officer and Newsweek opinion writer Travis Akers took to social media, writing, “Hey [Vance], you might want to remove the price tags next time you lie on camera. Also, you’re holding a pack of 24 eggs. I know math isn’t your strong suit, but that’s two dozen.”
Other commentators joined in, including TV producer Morgan J. Freeman, who remarked, “Even in their own damn photo, it shows JD Vance is lying about the price of eggs.” Norman Ornstein, an emeritus scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, wasn’t any kinder in his assessment: “Every word out of JD Vance’s mouth, including a and the, is a lie.”
ProPublica reporter Peter Elkind also fact-checked Vance’s statement, pointing out, “As closeup posts below and video show, Vance is standing in front of a sign showing a dozen eggs for $2.99.” The incident quickly gained traction online, with a popular YouTuber summarizing it as Vance being “caught lying” about egg prices in an attempt to blame Harris for inflation.