Inflation under Trump is only about half the rate under Biden. Voters are still just as mad.

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1. 2h ago

   Voters Fuming as US Inflation Persists Under Trump

   Voter anger over the economy remains intense despite inflation under President Donald Trump operating at roughly half the rate experienced during the Biden administration. Annual consumer price index inflation averaged 1.9 percent during Trump's first term from 2017 to 2020 and 4.9 percent across Joe Biden's four calendar years, which included a peak of 8.0 percent in 2022. Even so, the 12-month rate reached 3.7 percent in September 2026 following an energy price surge, and consumer prices have risen faster than paychecks over the past year.

   Why it matters

   Inflation played a decisive role in the previous presidential election, where exit polls showed 32 percent of voters considered the economy their top concern and 81 percent of those voters supported Trump after he promised to tackle high prices. As the 2026 midterm elections approach, persistent cost of living pressures and rising gas prices have sparked a severe voter backlash. Analysts point to tariffs and energy price increases as major contributors to the ongoing price hikes.

   What is confirmed

   • Annual CPI inflation averaged 1.9 percent across Trump's first term from 2017 to 2020 and 4.9 percent across Biden's four calendar years from 2021 to 2024.
   • Inflation reached a peak of 8.0 percent in 2022.
   • The 12-month inflation rate reached 3.7 percent in September 2026 following an energy price surge.
   • Sixty-seven percent of Americans now blame Donald Trump for inflation.

   Still unconfirmed

   • US prices have risen 5.4 percent under Trump as gas costs climb and tariffs raise prices ahead of the midterm elections.

   What to watch next

   • The outcome of the upcoming 2026 midterm elections and voter referendum on the economy
   • Further monthly consumer price index and energy price reports from the Department of Labor
   Sources used for this update (17)

   1. smartasset.com — Breaking Down Inflation Under Trump vs. Biden - SmartAsset
   2. Yahoo Finance — Inflation under Trump is only about half the rate under Biden. Voters are still just as mad.
   3. NBC News — Trump promised $2 gas and cheaper groceries. Here’s what voters got instead.
   4. WSJ — Opinion | The Biggest Inflation Contributor: Tariffs
   5. Grist — Trump vowed to stop an ‘energy emergency.’ Then he created a real one.
   6. Financial Times — No wars and no inflation: Has Trump delivered on his big promises?
   7. Hindustan Times — Trump faces voter backlash as US prices rise 5.4% and gas prices climb
   8. Alternet — Trump blamed Democrats — but now 67% of Americans blame him
   9. The Labor Tribune — OPINION: The bad news on inflation just keeps coming
   10. Magzter — Trump's bid to make America cheap again has failed | The Straits Times - newspaper
   11. www.independent.co.uk — Trump failed to stop inflation. Republicans may pay the price
   12. www.theguardian.com — ‘We don’t have inflation’? Five charts show the US economic ...
   confidence 90%