Policy Explainer: He Promised Lower Prices. Here Are the Receipts.
He made a promise. You can check it against your own wallet.
Donald Trump ran on one economic message above all others: he would bring your costs down. That promise is now two years old. The receipts are in.
Gas prices are averaging $4.42 a gallon nationwide — up $1.24 since the U.S. military conflict with Iran began. The typical American household has spent an extra $450 on fuel alone since the war started, according to Moody's Analytics. Inflation hit a three-year high in April, rising to 3.8% by the Federal Reserve's preferred measure.
Meanwhile, the war grinds on. The Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted. And the administration's answer to families struggling at the pump is to wait.
This is not an accident. It is the result of choices.
The choice to go to war without a clear exit. The choice to dismiss the economic pain as — in Trump's own words — "peanuts." The choice to prioritize tax immunity for the president and his family over relief for working people. Even Senator John Thune, the Senate's top Republican, broke ranks this week, saying Congress needs to "focus clearly on the economic issues that are going to be front and center for a lot of the American people when they vote."
When the president's own allies are saying the quiet part out loud, it is worth paying attention.
Trump was elected by people who wanted lower prices. That is not a partisan observation — it is what the voters said. What they are getting instead is an economy where costs are up, wages are not keeping pace, and the administration is arguing about which inflation metric to use.
You do not need an economist to tell you whether your paycheck is going further. You already know.
In November, the House and Senate are on the ballot. The people who have enabled this — and the people who have pushed back — are both on the record. Leading Ladies Vote believes economic security is a right, not a privilege. And our vote is how we demand it.
Sources:
Moody's Analytics / household fuel costs ($450):
BEA (Bureau of Economic Analysis) / inflation at 3.8%:
AAA gas prices: