Former President Donald Trump stated on Tuesday that Democrats are misleading the public with the term “affordability,” following a period of historically high inflation and rising costs during Joe Biden’s presidency.
During a Cabinet meeting—his ninth since resuming office—Trump claimed that Democrats are promoting a “false narrative” regarding affordability.
“I inherited historic inflation. There was no affordability. People couldn’t buy anything. Prices were incredibly high,” he remarked, recognizing Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins for her role in attempting to reduce prices.
From the onset of Biden’s term until July 2024, egg prices surged by 147%. Trump mentioned in November that he had managed to reduce egg prices by 85% since March.
He characterized the term affordable as a “Democratic deception,” pointing out that costs of some essential items are lower than they were during Biden’s time in office.
Gasoline prices serve as one example. As reported by AAA, prices average between $2.40 and $2.66 per gallon in 11 states, while the national average stands at $2.98. Notably, the highest price recorded for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline was $5.01, set in June 2022 under Biden.
“I predict it will go down to $2.00 a gallon,” Trump stated. “We might even surpass that one day. I’d like to see it happen, but it would be easier if Biden hadn’t depleted the Strategic National Reserve right before the election.”
“When the power goes out, everything stops,” he added.
The former president underscored that inflation under Biden has reached unprecedented levels, largely fueled by significant legislation—like the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan—passed by the Democratic-controlled Congress.
“The term affordability is basically a Democratic scam. They mention it and quickly shift to another topic, making everyone think, ‘Oh, prices are cheaper.'” No, we’ve experienced the worst inflation this country has ever seen,” he commented.
Although Trump maintains that inflation is at its worst in U.S. history under Biden, some argue it is the highest since the Carter administration.
He noted that while they have managed to curb inflation, “there’s still more to do.”
“There’s always work ahead, but we’ve managed to bring it down to a reasonable level,” he remarked. “It might decrease a bit more. A small amount of inflation is okay, but if it goes too far, that’s bad—then you face what’s known as deflation, which can be more damaging than inflation.”
Vice President J.D. Vance chimed in at a later Cabinet meeting, stating, “The Democratic talk about affordable prices demonstrates the crisis they’ve created.”
“Under Biden, the average American household lost over $3,000 in income, whereas in the first ten months of the Trump administration, household income rose by over $1,000,” Vance pointed out.
“This clearly shows we are addressing a problem created by Joe Biden and the Democrats from the previous administration,” he added.
