Trump is engineering 'a recession-level event': economist

President Donald Trump's new operations to deport undocumented immigrants have already spooked large numbers of agricultural workers who are staying away from their jobs for fear of being caught up in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid.

If this trend continues, it could potentially lead to higher prices for food as well as shortages of key crops.

In an interview with The New Republic, Cal State-Bakersfield economics professor Richard S. Gearhart warned that the loss of farm workers could portend "absolute economic devastation" in the coming months.

"You are talking about a recession-level event if this is the new long-term norm," he said.

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Trump vowed during the 2024 presidential campaign that he would bring down the price of groceries, which had spiked early in the Biden administration due to a quick rise in inflation.

Even though inflation had returned to under three percent by the end of Biden's term, many of Trump's proposed policies, including not just mass deportations but also hefty tariffs on all imported goods, could send costs soaring again.

Added to this, bird flu has been decimating farms across the United States, which has led the price of eggs to surge to record highs in recent weeks.