The White House is grappling with a fake internet video claiming that the price of McDonald’s signature Big Mac exceeds $17. Despite the manipulated image, it is being indiscriminately spread online as a symbol of the ‘failed inflation management of the Biden administration’.
Last year’s ‘$16 receipt’…cited as an example of ‘insane inflation’
According to the Washington Post (WP) and other sources on the 25th (local time), there has been recent controversy online over the exaggerated price of the Big Mac.
The controversy started when a man named Topher Oliver, residing in Idaho in the northwest of the U.S., posted a receipt on TikTok last December. The receipt was for a limited-edition ‘Smokey Quarter Pound BLT’ set, indicating a total meal cost of $16.1 (approximately 20,810 KRW).
However, this post began to circulate in conservative media earlier this month without any explanation about the limited edition, along with the text ’16-dollar Big Mac meal’.
In conservative online communities, this case was cited as evidence of the claim that “inflation is out of control, with hamburger prices approaching $20.” Some netizens have been complaining about rising prices, sharing the prices of fast food they have eaten recently, even a year after the video was posted.
The actual price of a Big Mac in the U.S. is $5.58 (approximately 6,500 KRW). This is an increase of about 70 cents from before President Biden took office in 2021. However, the receipt photo posted last year has been cited as an example that encapsulates American public dissatisfaction with inflation ahead of the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
WP reported, “The Big Mac issue is considered one of the most headache-inducing tasks for Biden’s aides and the Democrats ahead of the 2024 election. Despite the fact that actual U.S. inflation is falling and both the growth rate and labor market are active, voters are still criticizing the president, saying ‘the economy is bad’.”
It added, “Overcoming such dissatisfaction is the top priority for the White House and the Democrats. In other words, although inflation has dropped to the 3% range and the labor market is maintaining growth, voters are still not satisfied with the current economic situation and are criticizing President Biden.”
CNN also pointed out that “the Big Mac issue is becoming increasingly annoying to Democratic political strategists and economists.”
Biden lags behind Trump in polls
Meanwhile, recent poll results have shown that President Biden is lagging behind former President Trump.
In a survey conducted by NBC among 1,000 registered voters from the 10th to the 14th of this month, former President Trump received 46% support, surpassing President Biden (44%). Although the result is within the margin of error (±3.1%), this is the first time in the same institution’s survey that former President Trump has led President Biden.
In addition, polls from CNN, Fox News, and Quinnipiac University also showed that former President Trump’s approval rating was 2-4% points ahead of President Biden.
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