In exit polls from last week’s elections, which handed victory to Democrats, voters said their decision was driven by their discontent with Trump and concerns over the rising cost of living.
- Instead of working to reverse this serious trend, the president has publicly dedicated himself to denying reality.
- Meanwhile, in September, restaurant prices rose 3.9% annually, rents 3.6%, gasoline 4.1%, and healthcare 3.6%. Food prices increased by 3.1%, with eggs up 24.4%, beef 9.9%, and sugar 4.7%.
- All this means that in just one year, Donald Trump has “managed” to worsen the situation for wage earners, the poor, and minorities—and that starting in 2026, the situation will get worse.
Clearly, Trump is aware of this and acknowledges it. There’s no other way to explain his barrage of statements last week in which he denied what everyone knows: that Americans are paying more and more for essentials—groceries, gasoline, prescription drugs, housing. And that starting in 2026, we’ll pay even more.
Instead of working to reverse this serious trend, the president has publicly dedicated himself to denying reality.
“All prices have gone down,” he said on November 6 during a cabinet meeting. “Everything is much cheaper,” he claimed while speaking with leaders of Asian countries, and “We’re reducing drug prices to levels no one thought possible, tremendous cuts: 200%, 300%, 500%, 700%.” “Prices have dropped under the Trump administration, and significantly,” he declared the next day in a meeting with Hungary’s prime minister. He also said, “Everyone knows it’s much cheaper with Trump than with Sleepy Joe Biden.”
The issue of rising prices is “a Democratic lie,” he said in an interview, where he claimed that polls showing Americans struggling because of the economy are fake and that “gasoline will soon be $2 a gallon” (it currently averages $3.07).
This week, he also announced some of his ideas: sending Americans $2,000 checks funded by tariffs, investigating meatpackers for conspiring to raise prices, ordering pharmaceutical companies to lower the cost of weight-loss drugs, and more.
Meanwhile, in September, restaurant prices rose 3.9% annually, rents 3.6%, gasoline 4.1%, and healthcare 3.6%. Food prices increased by 3.1%, with eggs up 24.4%, beef 9.9%, and sugar 4.7%.
But as soon as importers pass on the cost of tariffs to consumers, basic imported products will also rise in early 2026, including sugar and coffee from Brazil and Guatemala; tomatoes, peppers, mangoes, strawberries, avocados, and beer from Mexico; olive oil from Spain and Italy; and clothing and shoes from China, Vietnam, and Bangladesh. Prices will generally rise for fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and appliances from China, Mexico, and Canada.
In light of these changes, workers’ purchasing power has stagnated. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a federal agency, “from August 2024 to August 2025, real average hourly earnings increased by 0.7%.”
Meanwhile, minimum wages, which can be set by states, remain at an absurd $7.25 per hour federally in Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, North Dakota, and even where they reach $16.50, as in the District of Columbia, Washington, California, Connecticut, and New York, they are still insufficient.
A real living wage hovers around $28 per hour. And if the minimum wage had kept pace with inflation, it should be $24 per hour.
All this means that in just one year, Donald Trump has “managed” to worsen the situation for wage earners, the poor, and minorities—and that starting in 2026, the situation will get worse.
The president’s response shows a disconnect from reality, an inability to take responsibility, and ignorance when it comes to planning.
The president’s voice carries unique and decisive weight in the perception of millions of Americans. It is therefore necessary to refute his false claims, including on this page, so that in the near future, Americans have the facts when making decisions.
Image: Opinion
