The latest political argument consuming social media ostensibly began with a college student’s gripe that a burrito shouldn’t cost $20.Then entered former Marc Thiessen, the former George W. Bush speechwriter and ally of President Donald Trump, who said: “Cry me a river.” Vice President JD Vance then took a swing at Thiessen, but instead of championing Trump’s economic policy, he opted for a fat joke at Thiessen’s expense.In a Fox News interview hours later, Vance blamed 40 years of economic policy, as well as progressives, for concerns about the cost of living.
Vance’s response, paired with other social media reactions on the Right, effectively amounted to “suck it up,” which nonetheless exposes a recurring challenge for the Trump administration and the wider Republican Party as they try to convince voters that have both the short-term and long-term solutions to combating financial pressures many Americans face in everyday life.Some Republicans dismissed the discourse as another example of young people complaining. Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), who lost his primary earlier this year, called the $20-burrito debate “dumb,” and told 20-somethings to “stop whining, get a job, eat Ramen like the rest of us did in college, on a budget with 4 roommates.”“The market doesn’t care what you think something ‘should’ cost,” Crenshaw said. “Only communists care (they set prices remember? Then everyone starves, remember?) Are you a communist? Or are you an American adult male capable of handling his own s***?”Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro had a similar take, arguing that younger Americans shouldn’t be buying costly burritos anyway.“If you’re paying $20 for a burrito and you’re not independently wealthy, you’re doing life wrong,” Shapiro said. “We have enough problems as a country without insane expectations that the government is going to provide us gourmet-quality burritos.”Other MAGA figures have called out Shapiro and Crenshaw for their burrito takes, saying their comments reflect a failure to properly understand people’s affordability concerns.Podcaster Benny Johnson chimed in to “end the debate,” pointing to the bigger issue facing young Americans: Basic necessities are just too expensive.“Anyone telling you otherwise is lying or retarded. Facts don’t care about your feelings,” Johnson said, listing out the cost comparisons of groceries, gas, and housing from 2006 to 2026.Comparing prices of beef, gas, and housing from June 2006 to June 2026, costs have certainly gone up, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, which tracks economic data. One pound of beef rose by roughly $4.50, gas prices have nearly doubled per gallon, and housing costs have also doubled.
