Key Takeaways:
- Crackdown on Collusion: President Trump ordered the Department of Justice to investigate major meatpacking companies for alleged price fixing and market manipulation that have driven beef prices to record highs.
- Defending American Ranchers: Trump accused majority foreign-owned meatpackers of exploiting U.S. consumers and ranchers, vowing swift action to “protect consumers and combat illegal monopolies.”
- Investigation Underway: Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed the DOJ’s Antitrust Division, alongside the Department of Agriculture, has already begun the probe amid skyrocketing beef prices and shrinking cattle supplies.
President Donald Trump is turning up the heat on Big Meat. On Friday, he ordered the Department of Justice to investigate major meatpacking companies, accusing them of “illicit collusion, price fixing, and price manipulation” that has sent beef prices skyrocketing while ranchers struggle to stay afloat.
“I have asked the DOJ to immediately begin an investigation into the Meat Packing Companies who are driving up the price of Beef through Illicit Collusion, Price Fixing, and Price Manipulation,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “We will always protect our American Ranchers… who are being blamed for what is being done by Majority Foreign Owned Meat Packers, who artificially inflate prices, and jeopardize the security of our Nation’s food supply.”
Trump called for swift action to “protect consumers, combat illegal monopolies, and ensure these corporations are not criminally profiting at the expense of the American People.” He noted that while cattle prices have dropped, boxed beef prices have climbed dramatically — calling the situation “fishy.”
“If there is criminality, those people responsible will pay a steep price,” he said.
Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed the investigation is already underway, led by DOJ’s Antitrust Division in coordination with the Department of Agriculture.
Beef prices are now at record highs, up nearly 15 percent over the past year, even as drought conditions have reduced cattle herds to the lowest levels in seven decades.
Trump’s message is clear: American ranchers deserve fair markets, and no foreign-owned monopoly will dictate America’s dinner table.