Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has found an unlikely prop for his economic argument: a $17.50 breakfast at Waffle House.

In a post on X on Wednesday, Buttigieg wrote, "We're all paying the price after Republicans increased the cost of living — look no further than an order at Waffle House." The accompanying video walks through the price of coffee, beef, eggs and other ingredients to make the case that President Donald Trump's policies have made everyday food more expensive.

The coffee problem

Buttigieg pinned part of the blame on Trump's 50% tariff on Brazil, arguing it contributed to higher coffee prices. His sharper point: costs stayed elevated even after the tariff was removed.

"Just because you get rid of a tariff doesn't mean the price always goes back to where it was," he said.

He made a similar argument on beef. A cattle shortage was already pushing prices up, and Buttigieg said tariffs added to the pressure. The administration's efforts to import beef from Argentina, he argued, failed to bring prices back to previous levels.

From the highway to the diner counter

Then there's diesel. Buttigieg cited higher egg prices and diesel costs, arguing that increased transportation expenses had pushed up the cost of delivering food and other supplies to restaurants.

"The trucking companies charge more, they pass that cost on to a place like Waffle House. They got to pass that on more to the customer," he said.

The through-line is simple enough: higher transportation costs ultimately make food more expensive for consumers. And Buttigieg used that argument to urge voters to support Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections.

Pelosi and Hassett trade affordability barbs

Buttigieg isn't the only Democrat making this pitch. On Tuesday, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blamed Trump and Republicans for rising household costs, citing tariffs, the Iran war and cuts to Medicaid and SNAP. She warned that voters could hold Republicans accountable in the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett dismissed the affordability crisis as "a myth," arguing that Americans were "a trillion dollars better off" since Trump took office after adjusting for inflation. He cited rising consumption, higher incomes and capital spending, and predicted gasoline prices would soon fall.

So the fight over the price of breakfast is really a fight over the price of everything, and both sides are betting voters will do the math at the ballot box.