Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent made an odd claim about rising beef prices during an appearance on Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo.
During the show, Bartiromo played a video clip from Omaha Steaks CEO Nate Rempe, who claimed Americans could see ground beef costing $10 a pound.
The price of beef has been increasing, with economists saying the Trump administration’s tariffs on beef from Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Uruguay, feed, farm equipment and machinery are to blame for rising prices, according to CNBC.
Bessent, however, made the bizarre claim that immigrants from South America with diseased cattle is the reason why beef prices have risen.
“And there’s also, because of the mass immigration, a disease that had been — we’ve been rid of in North America made its way up through South America, you know, as these migrants brought some of their cattle with them,” Bessent said. “So part of the problem is we’ve had to shut the border to Mexican beef because of this disease called the screwworm. So we’re not going to let that get into our supply chain.”
Following Bessent’s comments, users on the social media website X mocked the Treasury Secretary.
“Huh? Talk about a ‘big if true’ (narrator: it’s not true),” wrote former Meet the Press host Chuck Todd. ”This has to be A.I. slop, can’t be a serious take from the Sec. Of Treasury?”
“Scott on his horse, lasso in hand, rounding up immigrant cows,” wrote Henry Winkler. “Keeping us safe.”
According to Newsweek, there has been no cases of infected cattle in the United States so far.
President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has lowered tariffs on beef, along with coffee and fruits, according to CNN.
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