US inflation remains steadfast despite President Trump's claims of progress, leaving millions of Americans still grappling with rising costs. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 2.7% in December, mirroring the previous month's increase and exceeding the Federal Reserve's target for 2% inflation.
The latest data shows that food prices and housing costs contributed to the uptick in inflation, leaving many households struggling to make ends meet. Economists say the rise is largely driven by the unwinding of distortions caused by the longest US government shutdown on record, rather than strong underlying momentum.
Critics are pointing fingers at President Trump's administration for failing to address affordability concerns. Polls have shown that consumers increasingly blame the White House for their financial insecurity, with many believing their situation has worsened over time. The president is set to deliver a speech on the economy in Detroit later today, but his record on this issue remains underwhelming.
The latest inflation data comes amid an extraordinary power struggle within the US Federal Reserve. Despite President Trump's push for deeper interest rate cuts, the central bank defied him three times last year. Now, the department of justice has served the Fed with grand jury subpoenas, threatening a potential indictment and raising concerns about the administration's attacks on the central bank's independence.
President Trump himself appears to be taking a misleading tone, claiming that his tariffs strategy is responsible for low inflation numbers, which he hailed as "Great (LOW!)". However, many economists have warned that this approach risks driving up prices further. Democratic senator Elizabeth Warren called out President Trump for failing to deliver on his promise to lower costs for families, pointing out that annual inflation on groceries and utilities has risen compared to last year.
The situation is stark: with the Federal Reserve's independence under threat, inflation remains stubbornly high, and consumers continue to bear the brunt. Will President Trump's speech in Detroit mark a turning point in his efforts to address affordability concerns, or will it be more of the same?
The latest data shows that food prices and housing costs contributed to the uptick in inflation, leaving many households struggling to make ends meet. Economists say the rise is largely driven by the unwinding of distortions caused by the longest US government shutdown on record, rather than strong underlying momentum.
Critics are pointing fingers at President Trump's administration for failing to address affordability concerns. Polls have shown that consumers increasingly blame the White House for their financial insecurity, with many believing their situation has worsened over time. The president is set to deliver a speech on the economy in Detroit later today, but his record on this issue remains underwhelming.
The latest inflation data comes amid an extraordinary power struggle within the US Federal Reserve. Despite President Trump's push for deeper interest rate cuts, the central bank defied him three times last year. Now, the department of justice has served the Fed with grand jury subpoenas, threatening a potential indictment and raising concerns about the administration's attacks on the central bank's independence.
President Trump himself appears to be taking a misleading tone, claiming that his tariffs strategy is responsible for low inflation numbers, which he hailed as "Great (LOW!)". However, many economists have warned that this approach risks driving up prices further. Democratic senator Elizabeth Warren called out President Trump for failing to deliver on his promise to lower costs for families, pointing out that annual inflation on groceries and utilities has risen compared to last year.
The situation is stark: with the Federal Reserve's independence under threat, inflation remains stubbornly high, and consumers continue to bear the brunt. Will President Trump's speech in Detroit mark a turning point in his efforts to address affordability concerns, or will it be more of the same?
The guy is claiming that his tariffs strategy has caused low inflation numbers and I'm like, "Uh no, dude". 
Those prices are still rising and people are struggling to make ends meet. It's like he thinks inflation magically disappeared while he was president. 
And now the Fed is getting pulled into this drama? That's just a disaster waiting to happen... the whole system could come crashing down if they can't work together.
Instead of just claiming credit for low inflation numbers and pretending everything is fine. Get real, man...
. And don't even get me started on this tariffs nonsense - it's just a bunch of confusing speak 
. If the president really cared about helping families, he'd be addressing the real issues here, not just making stuff up for his own PR purposes 
.
. can't say i'm surprised that trumps trying to spin this as some kinda win tho...he's always been bad at taking responsibility for things that don't go his way 
. The people are suffering and all this politicking is just making things worse 
. And what's with the speech in Detroit? Just more empty promises, I'm not buying it 
.
. The Fed has gotta keep an eye out for the department of justice tho, that's like, super serious stuff 
. Can't have the central bank getting dragged into politics 
. The bigger issue here is the Fed's independence being under threat. Like, how's that supposed to end well? It's not like they're gonna start listening to Trump's economic "advice" anytime soon 
. millions of ppl struggling to afford basic stuff 
. it's like they're trying to control every aspect of our lives