Egg prices, once a media cudgel against President Donald Trump, have cracked under his administration’s policies. Critics pounced when costs soared early in his second term, but the narrative scrambled as prices plummeted. The press, it seems, underestimated the resilience of sound policy.

Since Trump took office on Jan. 20, 2025, egg prices have dropped over 61%, defying early media claims of failure, as the Daily Caller reports. Outlets like PBS and USA Today hammered Trump for record highs, ignoring the rapid decline that followed. Their haste to condemn reveals more about bias than breakfast costs.

On Jan. 21, the average cost of a dozen eggs stood at $6.41, a figure that critics eagerly spotlighted. By March, prices peaked at $8, fueling headlines about Trump’s supposed broken promises. Yet, the story was already shifting beneath their feet.

Media’s premature victory lap

The Associated Press, on March 7, cited the Department of Agriculture predicting a 41% egg price hike for the year.

This gloomy forecast fed narratives like the New York Times’ February claim that Trump inherited a strong economy but fumbled on eggs. Wishful thinking, perhaps, from a press corps itching for a stumble.

“The rise in egg prices was the largest increase in roughly a decade,” said Jeffrey Roach, chief economist at LPL Financial.

Such quotes armed outlets like CNN, which reported a March high of $6.23 per dozen. But facts don’t bend to selective framing.

By April 9, 2025, egg prices had already fallen 44% from the year’s start, a detail media grudgingly acknowledged.

CNN noted a 55% drop from the yearly high by April 23. The numbers tell a story of recovery that the headlines tried to bury.

Trump’s plan takes flight

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, in a Feb. 26 Wall Street Journal op-ed, outlined a five-step plan to tame egg prices. It included $500 million for poultry biosecurity, financial relief for farmers hit by bird flu, and regulatory rollbacks. Practical steps, not press conferences, drove the turnaround.

The plan also explored vaccines for egg-laying chickens and temporary egg imports. While PBS News’ John Funk sniffed that Trump’s bird flu strategy was “long-term,” the 61% price drop by Friday suggests otherwise. Actions, not soundbites, delivered.

“Trump tried to take credit for the lower wholesale egg prices,” Funk wrote, downplaying the administration’s role. Yet, the data -- $2.57 per dozen by Friday, per Trade Economics -- shows a president keeping promises. Critics might try harder to keep up.

Media’s narrative crumbles

USA Today’s Rex Huppke, on April 19, sneered that Trump “ruined Easter” with egg prices at $6.23 in March. “Now get out there with the kids and tell them to enjoy their Easter potato hunt!” he jabbed. By April, with prices down 55%, Huppke’s sarcasm looked more like sour grapes.

“[Trump] did promise to lower the price of groceries, I have not seen an egg fall one cent,” Whoopi Goldberg huffed on The View. Her timing was impeccable -- just as prices were crashing. Hyperbole doesn’t trump reality.

CNN’s Abby Phillip, on April 23, 2025, scoffed at claims of a 94% price drop, noting the average was “above $6.” She was half-right: March’s $6.23 was high, but April’s 55% decline was real. Partial truths don’t make a full story.

Lessons in hasty headlines

Reuters, on April 3, warned that Trump’s tariffs would send egg prices soaring. Instead, prices dove, exposing the gap between speculation and results. Perhaps a pause before publishing might serve the press well.

NBC News reported shoppers bracing for higher grocery costs, even as egg prices fell. The disconnect is telling: media amplifying fear while markets signaled relief. It’s almost as if the narrative mattered more than the numbers.

The egg price saga reveals a media quick to pounce but slow to correct. Trump’s policies, from biosecurity to deregulation, delivered where critics only detracted. Next time, they might wait for the yolk to settle before crowing.