Differences in Inflation Coverage by CNN
Recently, CNN’s portrayal of inflation rates during the Biden and Trump administrations has drawn attention. In a post on X, they described the 6% inflation under former President Joe Biden more favorably than the 2.7% inflation rate during President Donald Trump’s tenure.
In a March 14, 2023, article, CNN stated, “U.S. inflation remains high but is falling,” referring to the 6% rate at that time. Fast forward to December, and the network noted, “The U.S. inflation rate remained at 2.7%, highlighting the persistence of cost-of-living challenges.”
This contrast was pointed out by Daily Wire Senior Editor Cabot Phillips, who raised questions about CNN’s bias in a widely shared post. This led to various accusations aimed at the network.
White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt responded to Phillips’ observations, tagging it as “CNN Fake News.” Additionally, Kari Lake, a senior adviser, chimed in with her own critique. Both CNN articles in question were linked to corresponding content from CNN Business’s Alicia Wallace, emphasizing different tones in their headings.
According to a 2025 Pew Research Center study, trust in CNN varied significantly, with 58% of Democrats expressing trust, while the same percentage of Republicans did not trust the network.
CNN host Abby Phillip, while discussing the channel’s positioning, noted they may lean left but are not quite as liberal as MSNBC. She described CNN as probably being center-left, which she believes relates to their audience demographics.
In another discussion, Harvard economist Kenneth Rogoff commented that the 2.7% inflation in November was unexpectedly good news for the economy. He acknowledged the numbers were surprisingly low and indicated that investors might respond positively, anticipating lower interest rates.
It’s worth noting, however, that the inflation rate soared to 9.1% in June 2022 under Biden, marking a peak not seen in 40 years.
As of now, CNN has yet to provide a response regarding these observations.
