Surging Inflation Complicates Trumps Final Push to Sell Voters on Strong Economy
Touring the country in the final days of a high-stakes midterm campaign, President Trump has frequently returned to his signature economic theme: A nation long wracked by high prices has finally seen relief after two years of Republican control.“Every time they want to try and get me, they say affordability,” Mr.Trump decried during a speech in Wasilla, Alaska, late Tuesday, before claiming that he had delivered “substantial” improvements for families.Not even a full day later, however, the government’s own data told a markedly different story.
The last inflation report before the 2026 election showed that price increases had accelerated in September, undermining Mr.Trump’s closing argument and perhaps evincing the political rout for Republicans still to come.Overall, consumer prices rose 3.7 percent last month from a year ago, driven largely by a spike in energy costs stemming from the war with Iran.
The consequences of that increase were evident across the economy, as a vast set of goods, including electronics and home heating, became more expensive.The surge in inflation also continued to eat into workers’ hourly earnings, further magnifying the strain on families’ wallets.The data released on Wednesday showed that Americans, on average, had experienced about zero wage growth in real terms since the president returned to the White House last January.The poor marks only further undercut Mr.
Trump’s initial source of political strength: a simmering frustration with the state of the economy in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.The public’s palpable and bipartisan anger about inflation — and Democrats’ inability to tame it — had helped to propel Republicans into the majority two years ago.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
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