Thanksgiving Cheapest in Years with Trump Back in Office

While the economic hangover from the Biden administration has not yet worn off, this Thanksgiving is nonetheless shaping up to be the cheapest in years. As Americans gather around the table with family and friends this week, they can be grateful for the positive economic signs that have emerged since President Donald Trump returned to the Oval Office.

One of the clearest – and most consequential – signals of improving conditions is falling fuel prices. The national average price for a gallon of gas on Thanksgiving Day is projected to be the lowest since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.

This matters far beyond the cost of filling up the tank, as fuel prices ripple through the entire economy. When gas is cheap, shipping gets cheaper, food and consumer goods become more affordable, and families feel relief in their household budgets.

President Trump’s early executive actions reopening federal lands for oil and gas exploration and decisively ending the Biden administration’s regulatory war on American fossil fuels are to thank for this positive development. Energy policy changes do not show up in the data overnight, but the downward pressure on fuel costs now visible across the country reflects a White House that has made affordability its guiding priority.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt highlighted more positive trends last week, noting that “Thanksgiving dinner will also cost less than it did last year and is down about 5% overall,” while the price of turkey “has fallen more than 16% from last year.”

“President Trump’s entire economic agenda is aimed at putting more money back into the pockets of hardworking Americans,” Leavitt said. She also emphasized the administration’s major tax policies – “no tax on overtime, no tax on tips, no tax on Social Security” – and cited a new study from Piper Sandler finding that tax filers can expect “an extra $1,000 bump to their tax refund next year in what could be a record-breaking tax refund season.”

The signs of improvement extend well beyond the Thanksgiving table. As AMAC Newsline reported last week, the Department of Labor finally released the long-delayed September jobs report after nearly seven weeks of disruption caused by the Democrat-induced government shutdown. The numbers were unambiguously positive: the economy added 119,000 new jobs in September, more than doubling expectations.

The White House later noted that wages are up 3.8% on the year, with real wages up $700 and “on track for a $1,000 increase after his first year — meaning Americans are on track to make up one-third of the $3,000 in wages lost under Biden.”

In early November, additional data from the Department of Treasury reinforced the accelerating recovery. Real personal consumption expenditures (PCE) were up 2.8% at an annual rate in the first two months of the third quarter of 2025. Meanwhile, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported that the U.S. goods and services trade deficit “decreased from $78.2 billion in July (revised) to $59.6 billion in August, as exports increased and imports decreased.”

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent underscored the administration’s confidence in the path ahead during an appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press. “I am very confident about 2026,” Bessent said. “Because what we are going to see is the president’s done peace deals, tax deals, and trade deals, the One Big Beautiful Bill.”

Taken together, the jobs numbers, wage growth, and tax relief form a consistent economic picture of a country finally pulling out of the slump created by years of inflation, regulatory aggression, and stagnation under Joe Biden.

Trump is directly responsible for this positive development by signing multiple executive orders aimed at removing barriers to economic growth. On day one of his second term, he ordered all executive departments to “lower the cost of housing and expand housing supply,” “create employment opportunities for American workers,” and “eliminate harmful, coercive ‘climate’ policies that increase the costs of food and fuel.”

Another order signed on January 31 required that “whenever an agency promulgates a new rule, regulation, or guidance, it must identify at least 10 existing rules, regulations, or guidance documents to be repealed.”

Trump’s reciprocal tariffs introduced in April further strengthened the U.S. negotiating position abroad. These tariffs led to new trade agreements with Japan, South Korea, Argentina, and El Salvador, as well as major commitments from the European Union to “purchase $750 billion in U.S. energy and make new investments of $600 billion in the United States,” along with nearly $1 trillion in investments from Saudi Arabia.

America is not yet where it needs to be. The American Dream remains out of reach for too many families, and affordability challenges persist throughout the country.

But none of these problems are insurmountable. The economic indicators of the past several months suggest that the Trump administration’s early efforts are paying off. With energy costs falling, wages rising, trade deals expanding, and tax burdens shrinking, there is legitimate reason for optimism. This Thanksgiving, Americans can be grateful not only for their blessings at home but for the encouraging steps toward a more prosperous year ahead.

Alan Jamison is the pen name of a political writer with extensive experience writing for several notable politicians and news outlets.