Inflation Under Trump & Biden: Facts vs. Claims

Analyzing inflation rates under Trump and Biden, debunking claims of 'no inflation'. Key metrics like CPI and personal consumption expenditures are examined, revealing recent trends and sector-specific changes. Inflation at 2.9%.

Inflation today is far less than its 2022 peak under Biden, when the consumer price index– an extensively tracked Bureau of Labor Data rising cost of living metric– hit a four-decade high of about 9% year-over-year.

“Consumer rate inflation is not absolutely no, under any kind of plausibly total interpretation covering all the products and services Americans acquisition,” said Gary Burtless, an economic expert at the Brookings Institution, a Washington, D.C., think tank.

Trump’s Inflation Claims Challenged

When we asked the White Home for proof to support Trump’s declarations, White House spokesperson Kush Desai resembled the news releases’ language, saying, “President Trump is right: The days of Joe Biden’s crippling rising cost of living situation more than. Because President Trump took workplace, inflation has actually been tracking at a secure and low 2.3 percent annualized rate and real incomes for American workers are up.”

Historically, the Federal Book has actually gone for “rate security” of around 2% rather than a literal 0% rising cost of living price. To gauge whether rising cost of living is close to that 2% criteria, the Fed usespersonal intake expenses, a measurement that’s slightly different from the consumer price index.

Federal Reserve’s Inflation Target

On Sept. 19, while fulfilling reporters in the Oval Office, Trump referenced his tariff policy, claiming, “Even people that protested the tolls, now they see the way they’re functioning. And incidentally, without any inflation, without trouble, we’re just developing cash money and we’re utilizing that cash to lower taxes, decrease debt, and other points.”

Trump’s declarations about “no rising cost of living” is likewise damaged by White House news releases, which on several celebrations since July 1 have actually defined the current degree of inflation asbeatingexpectations, not being no. The news releases have utilized a lot more careful phrasing, describing rising cost of living as “on target” and “stable and low.”

If measuring “core rising cost of living” by removing food and energy– a method financial experts often prefer, since it minimizes the volatility of the index– the year-over-year modification in individual usage expenses had to do with 3.5%.

Inflation Rate: Key Measures & Trends

3 measures– the customer price index, individual intake expenditures and personal consumption expenditures minus food and power– all reached their Trump second-term lows in April, after that began climbing. For the customer rate index minus food and power, the inflection factor came one month later, in May.

The inflation price is not zero; it’s currently at 2.9% year over year. That’s higher than the Fed’s 2% “price stability” target. And the inflation price has been accelerating rather than relieving for the previous 4 months.

“I think there could be some room for the administration to highlight less rising cost of living, up until now, than economic experts forecasted in reaction to his tariff policies, however not to claim no inflation,” stated Tara Sinclair, a George Washington University economist and former Treasury Department replacement aide secretary for macroeconomics under Biden.

At the very least two significant industries have seen decreasing rising cost of living prices this year– sanctuary (a wide group for housing) and tuition/child treatment– yet they are exceeded by fields that have actually seen increasing rising cost of living. And both shelter and tuition/child treatment stay a lot more costly today than a year ago: 3.6% higher for sanctuary and 3.3% higher for tuition/child care.

Sectors with Rising Inflation

Numerous classifications have seen continuously increasing inflation throughout Trump’s 2nd term, too. These consist of electricity (up 6.2% from August 2024 to August 2025), used vehicles (up 6%), medical care (up 3.4%), groceries (up 2.7%) and consumer goods (up 1.9%).

The inflation rate is not zero; it’s currently at 2.9% year over year. That’s higher than the Fed’s 2% “price stability” target. of 2%. And the rising cost of living price has been speeding up rather than easing for the past four months.