Republican’s ‘let them eat lobster’ comment leaves sour taste
Republican Representative Troy Nehls has been hammered for boasting about eating steaks and lobster tails on the Fourth of July, while his constituents struggle to make ends meet. Nehls added insult to injury by dismissing poor Americans as lazy.
As he left Capitol Hill on Tuesday, Nehls was asked by a reporter what Republicans are doing to convince voters in their districts that they’re “fighting for affordability.”
“Affordability? What are you talking about?” Nehls replied. “Over the fourth, I’m going to get me a couple of big lobster tails, I’m going to get me some nice rib-eyes. I’m going to sit in my backyard with my family, my neighbors, and we’re going to be enjoying the fourth, celebrating 250 years, the birthday [of America].”
Asked whether the 60% of Americans “living paycheck to paycheck can afford lobster tails and rib eyes and all of that,” Nehls replied “maybe not,” adding “maybe the 60 percent of Americans don’t work as hard as I do.”
Dems should turn this into an ad https://t.co/9xG4Vv42D8
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) July 1, 2026
Nehls’ comments set off a wave of online anger. It’s “absolutely wild,” liberal influencer Joshua Eakle wrote on X. “They’re just mocking their own voters at this point.”
“THIS is how they view Americans,” another Democrat activist wrote. “THIS is what we should never forget.”
Independence Day inflation
Almost every year, Democrats and Republicans alike use the price of a traditional Fourth of July cookout to attack each other’s economic policies. Former President Joe Biden was relentlessly mocked by Republicans when he bragged that he had brought the price of an Independence Day feast down by a mere 16 cents in 2021. One year later, after Biden’s unprecedented federal spending splurge, the price of a cookout had risen by more than $10.
Planning a cookout this year? Ketchup on the news. According to the Farm Bureau, the cost of a 4th of July BBQ is down from last year. It’s a fact you must-hear(d). Hot dog, the Biden economic plan is working. And that’s something we can all relish. pic.twitter.com/7h9qLauIbC
— The White House 46 Archived (@WhiteHouse46) July 1, 2021
On the campaign trail, Trump promised that “starting on day one, we will end inflation and make America affordable again, to bring down the prices of all goods.” The rapid inflation of the Biden years cooled during Trump’s first year back in power, but skyrocketed after the US and Israel attacked Iran in February. Inflation jumped from 2.4% in January to 4.2% in May, and the spike in oil prices following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz triggered a knock-on rise in fertilizer and fuel costs.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, steak is now 20% more expensive than it was in 2024, at $12.80 per pound ($28.16 per KG). In Nehls’ native Texas, a minimum wage employee would have to work for four hours to afford a kilo of steak, putting the Congressman’s surf and turf cookout beyond their means.
Trump says he ‘loves’ inflation
Trump maintains that prices will fall again once the current ceasefire between the US and Iran is made permanent. “I love the inflation,” he told reporters at the White House last month. “You know why? Because as soon as this war is over... it’s going to come down like a rock.”
Nehls struck a similar tone on Tuesday. “I think in the end, the short-term increase in some of the costs…is temporary,” he told reporters. “I think that the overall goal or objective is to make sure that Iran never has a nuclear weapon. I’m okay with the increase in fuel.”
