Five months before crucial US midterm elections that could plunge their administration into fresh jeopardy, it’s a brave president who tells voters: “I love the inflation”. Or a really foolhardy or callous one.
On Wednesday, Donald Trump did just that, while reacting to news that would make most elected officials run for the hills.
Annual inflation in the United States has now risen to 4.2%, its highest level in three years. April’s numbers were bad enough, reaching a worrying 3.8%, but additional price rises in May, linked to rising energy costs caused by Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, are showing the real costs of Trump’s decision to wage war in the Middle East.
Behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, Trump waved away any suggestion that the data, published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, should concern him. “I love it. The numbers were great,” he insisted.
The data painted a staggering picture of the costs that Trump’s war on Iran is imposing on American families from coast to coast. The cost of a gallon of petrol is now 50 per cent higher than it was before the war began. Fruits and vegetables are 6.1 per cent more expensive than twelve months ago. And with fertiliser running short due to the closure of the Strait, those numbers are only expected to climb in the months ahead.
Trump’s comments will have Democrats battling in November’s midterms rushing for their ad spend, to make his words front and centre of their TV and online campaigns.
The President’s explanation for his enthusiasm was rooted in the fall in prices that he said will happen the minute his war ends. “When this conflict is over… it’s going to come down like a rock,” he told reporters.
But even if the war was to end tomorrow – which seems highly unlikely given the renewed attacks over the last days – that is not true. Pentagon officials have told US lawmakers in classified briefings that it could take as long as six months to clear the Strait of Hormuz of mines laid by Iran, in the event that freedom of navigation is restored, and only then will we likely see a notable drop in prices.
For Trump it was a bad day, coming as his war risks spiralling further out of his control, with strikes and counter strikes between Iran and the US.
Donald Trump stickers on pumps at a Shell station in Washington DC (Photo: Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)The latest data also complicates the President’s determination that Kevin Warsh, the new chairman of the Federal Reserve, should cut interest rates immediately, to stimulate domestic economic growth. That seems less and less likely with each passing day, despite Trump’s breezy predictions that the conflict could soon end.
CNN reported on Tuesday that the President has now publicly claimed no fewer than 37 times that the war will imminently reach a conclusion. But he also told Fox News that Wednesday night’s air strikes on Iran saw the US military fire 49 Tomahawk missiles, just 48 hours after he claimed a ceasefire extension could be signed before the end of the week.
Trump’s handling of the economy is an Achilles’ heel for Republicans seeking seats in the House and Senate in November. The latest US polling shows that only 14 per cent of those surveyed believe the economy is improving, with an overwhelming 63 per cent disapproving of Trump’s handling of it.
For Democrats, Trump’s comments were manna from heaven. “Trump really said ‘I love the inflation’. On camera. For all of America to hear,” Chuck Schumer, the Democrats’ leader in the Senate, posted on X. “His contempt for you knows no bounds,” Schumer added.
As the pushback gathered pace, Trump sought to blunt the impact. In an interview with The New York Post, he claimed that “I’m always taken out of context… I love the inflation numbers because… the numbers are much lower than anticipated.”
Trump added: “When we’re out of that war, the numbers will be at lower numbers than they were even before it started.”
He also claimed to have begun the process of alleviating the rising price of oil by secretly “taking out millions of barrels of oil” from Iran, suggesting that authorities in Tehran had only recently discovered that night-time efforts are being made by the US Navy to escort a limited number of vessels going through the Strait.
However, US officials said the President was referring to “Project Freedom”, a plan he announced publicly in May. On Wednesday, officials declined to provide any information about what type of vessels have been guided through the Strait, making it impossible to independently verify the claim.
Iran is well-aware of the soaring prices in the US, and the pressure Trump is under to wrap the conflict up. The US President may insist that “I call the shots” in how and when the war officially ends, but prices at petrol stations and cash registers across America can’t be ignored.
Trump may “love the inflation”, but US voters definitely don’t.
Hence then, the article about trump says he loves inflation but it could overwhelm him was published today ( ) and is available on inews ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Trump says he loves inflation. But it could overwhelm him )
Also on site :
- List of all FIFA World Cup 2026 matches today & kick-off times (11 June)
- Windows of South Loop high rise shattered during severe storm
- UN watchdog demands Iran provide information on nuclear stockpile