Trump's push to fix egg price ‘mess' and end taxes on tips fails to impress Democrats, focus group shows
Democrats in a Fox News Digital focus group were largely unimpressed by President Donald Trump's call to lower the price of eggs and abolish taxes on tips and overtime pay.
During Tuesday's congressional address, Trump blamed former President Biden for the "out-of-control" egg prices and promised his administration has been working hard to alleviate costs.
"Secretary [Brooke Rollins], do a good job on that. You inherited a total mess from the previous administration. Do a good job," Trump said as the Democratic side of the chamber broke out in boos.
The average price of a dozen Grade A large eggs hit a new record in January 2025, according to the latest consumer price index. The cost in cities throughout the United States was $4.95, 13 cents higher than the previous record of $4.82.
"A major focus of our fight to defeat inflation is rapidly reducing the cost of energy. The previous administration cut the number of new oil and gas leases by 95%, slowed pipeline construction to a halt, and closed more than 100 power plants. We are opening up many of those power plants right now," Trump continued during the address.
Maslansky + partners President and Partner Lee Carter conducted the 161-person focus group for Fox News Digital, which included 64 Democrats, 77 Republicans and 20 independents.
According to Carter, Republicans and independents who participated in the focus group were glad Trump addressed prices, but wanted to hear more about his energy plans.
Still, she noted that both groups were willing to give the president the benefit of the doubt.
"Democrats were having none of it and were instead focused on how unfair it was for Trump to blame Biden for the price of eggs," Carter added.
As Trump criticized Biden and pointed out efforts to reduce the cost of goods, Republicans' and Independents' favorability steadily climbed, while Democrats' reaction turned from neutral to slightly negative.
The focus group reacted similarly when Trump reiterated calls to end taxes on tips, overtime work, and Social Security benefits.
Again, Republicans' and Independents' favorability climbed during this portion of the speech. However, while Democrats started neutral, they showed slight favorability as Trump pushed for greater benefits for America's "great seniors."
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates that eliminating taxes on tip income, as well as increasing the minimum wage, two policies that Trump supports, could add between $100 billion and $200 billion to the nation's deficits over a 10-year window.
Overall, Carter noted that Democrats barely reacted to Trump's address and were not dialing negatively to the lowest level like Fox News Digital focus groups usually see.
"They were just neutral. It's like they weren't willing to listen to him at all. Independents behaved much more like Republicans than Democrats," Carter continued.
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