Donald Trump’s assessment of the current economic crisis in America is lagging behind by a few ounces of reality check. With basic grocery prices soaring to an all-time high and SNAP benefits going kaput, citizens are already lashing out on social media. For the unversed, it was back in August 2024 when Trump promised to lower grocery prices. On the contrary, a year later, rates have increased by a significant 2.7 percent. His assurances about tackling affordability and inflation have followed the same path.
Recently, the U.S. President surprised everyone by claiming that the United States has been doing “phenomenally well” under his leadership. Trump told Fox News’ Laura Ingraham in an interview that the country is currently enjoying “the greatest economy they’ve ever had.” The only exceptions, he said, were coffee and beef, whose prices are still skyrocketing.
Aside from the backlash he’s facing over this statement, an economics professor from the University of Michigan has also torn into his claims, offering the 79-year-old a much-needed reality check. Justin Wolfers openly stated that whatever the President said was an outright lie.
Speaking with Kaitlan Collins on CNN, he said:
“Look, every word the President just said is a lie. Worse than that, it’s such a lie that I worry there’s literally a break with reality inside the man’s mind. I can tell you that because I’m a statistics nerd, and you can go to the Bureau of Labor Statistics — they’ve got people in supermarkets all across the country — and almost every category of goods or services is seeing prices rise.”
He said: “Prices are down under Trump.’
Me: “It is quite literally false. There’s not a single way you can interpret a word that the man’s saying..as being remotely reflective of either what we’re seeing in data from all across the country or in people’s everyday lives.” pic.twitter.com/0V3SBp7C7q
— Justin Wolfers (@JustinWolfers) November 10, 2025
Regarding inflation rates, Wolfers expressed doubt about whether they had actually been reduced or whether the claims still needed a second look. Nonetheless, he was certain that inflation remains a key part of America’s current economic situation.
In his words:
“And it’s not just the nerds at the BLS who see it. When companies release earnings reports, they’re telling us they’re raising prices. Every single viewer on the other side of this television set knows exactly what’s happening — prices are rising.”
The University of Michigan professor went on to say that it was utterly pointless for the President to lie about issues like these, since every ordinary person is well aware of the current circumstances.
In another statement to MSNBC, Wolfers again targeted Trump’s claims, saying:
“There’s not a single way you can interpret a word the man’s saying right now as being remotely reflective of what we’re seeing — either in data from across the country or in people’s everyday lives.”
According to Trump, there is no inflation and no affordability crisis. Groceries are down. Energy is down. Everything is down according to him. 🤦♀️
The high prices we are paying isn’t real. It’s in our heads. 🙄
We are all nuts and Donald is the only sane person in America. 🤣
— The GQP is destroying America (@SpevansEvans) November 12, 2025
Ever since Trump’s second presidential journey began, there has been ongoing disagreement between Republicans and Democrats over his misleading assessments of inflation and prices. Despite the President’s claims of having worked hard to resolve both issues, recent data shows quite the opposite. His “Make America Affordable Again” promise has yet to yield any tangible results.
On the other hand, Trump continues to argue that criticism of his high tariffs is merely a “con job by the Democrats,” who, according to him, persuade television networks to blindly declare that costs are rising.
During a press briefing last Thursday, Trump once again dismissed concerns about tariffs and prices. He said, “Our energy costs are way down. Our groceries are way down. Everything is way down, and the press doesn’t report it. The reason I don’t want to talk about affordability is that everybody knows it’s far less expensive under Trump than it was under Sleepy Joe Biden.”
