Joe Scarborough, co-host of MSNBC’s Morning Joe, admitted that the economy was a motivating factor for many Americans who voted for President-elect Donald Trump and was taken back when he realized how much grocery costs have risen in recent years. 

Scarborough recounted a conversation he had with a Kamala Harris voter who, three weeks prior to the election, warned, “Oh my God, Trump’s going to win.” When asked why, the individual pointed to rising prices, stating, “I went to the grocery store, butter’s over $3!” 

As Scarborough began to say he thought this was “reductive,” his co-host and wife Mika Brzezinski chimed in to correct him that the price of butter has actually risen to $7.

“What's that? Butter is $7? What? Is it framed in gold?” responded Scarborough after Brzezinski corrected him.

On Friday’s show, Scarborough further admitted that Democrats' strategy against Trump failed in part because it did not sufficiently address voters' economic concerns. 

“While we were looking at all of the crazy things Donald Trump was saying on the campaign trail, all of the frightening things Donald Trump was saying on the campaign trail, they [voters] were looking at their wallet,” Scarborough admitted.

“They were looking at what groceries cost, what gas costs, what rent costs, and none of that [rhetoric] really penetrated their consciousness when they went to vote,” he added.

An NBC News exit poll highlighted the significance of economic issues for voters. While 34 percent of voters identified democracy as the most important issue, the economy closely followed at 31 percent. Additionally, 72 percent of respondents expressed dissatisfaction or anger over the direction of the country, and nearly half indicated they were financially worse off than when President Biden took office.