Prices were a key issue in 2024, but Trump makes clear they're not his top priority
Trump's promises to bring down the cost of living were a big reason he was elected, but since taking office he has now twice said that's not his top priority.
"They all said inflation was the No. 1 issue," Trump said about the presidential campaign as he spoke to supporters at the Capitol following his inauguration address. "I said, 'I disagree. I think people coming into our country from prisons and from mental institutions is a bigger issue for the people that I know.' And I made it my No. 1. I talked about inflation, too, but you know how many times can you say that an apple has doubled in cost?"
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Again on Monday, Trump reiterated that immigration is the bigger issue.
"I always felt the border was first," he said in a speech to congressional Republicans gathered at Trump National Doral Miami Golf Resort.
"I talked about that much more so than I did inflation," Trump said. "I mean, inflation was terrible. I think it was the worst in the history of our country, but you can only talk about it so long. The price of apples doubled. The price of bacon has quadrupled. Everything is a disaster. And you say it, and then what do you do?"
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Undoubtedly, though, higher than pre-pandemic prices and high interest rates intended to curb inflation put Americans in a bad mood — and is a big reason, if not
thereason, Trump won in 2024.
He said so himself.
"I won on the border, and I won on groceries," Trump said
on NBC's Meet the Press in his first interview after the election. "When you buy apples, when you buy bacon, when you buy eggs, they would double and triple the price over a short period of time, and I won an election based on that. We're going to bring those prices way down."
… Trump has
signed executive orders declaring an energy "crisis" and ordering the executive branch to find ways to cut prices. That included making efforts to deregulate efficiency standards on home appliances — everything from stoves to shower heads to light bulbs.
… Experts are dubious that those initiatives, however, will have an effect on grocery prices.
What's more, Trump has said he will impose 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico and 10% more tariffs on China, starting this Saturday. Those efforts,
experts also warn, could drive the prices of many things people buy — and
gas prices — higher. …”