Trump Says Prices Falling; GOP Ads Disagree

President Trump says prices are falling fast. Consumer prices are up 4.3% since he returned to office, and Republican midterm candidates are running television ads that tell voters the opposite of what the president is saying.

CNN reviewed a batch of GOP ads — many identified by the tracking firm AdImpact — in which Republican candidates describe gas, groceries, rent and electric bills as painfully expensive, while Trump insists inflation is beaten.

What Trump Has Said

In the past two weeks alone, according to CNN's tally of transcripts, Trump has said "I've largely taken care of inflation" in an August 30 Fox News interview with Trey Gowdy; "the prices are all coming down" at an August 21 rally in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; and "the prices are coming down very rapidly" in an August 26 interview with Glenn Beck on BlazeTV. He has also said prices have already fallen "very, very, very substantially."

The left-leaning outlet Truthout reported on a Trump post to Truth Social touting cheaper drugs, beef and gas.

CNN reports that consumer prices have risen 4.3% since Trump was sworn back in, and that the inflation rate is now higher than it was on the day he took office.

What His Party's Ads Say

"On our farm here in Belle Plaine, we see it every day: gas, groceries, everything's expensive. Iowa families are hurting," says Zach Lahn, the Republican candidate for governor of Iowa, in a recent ad.

"Housing costs keep rising, and it's getting harder to afford a place to live," says Republican Rep. Zach Nunn of Iowa in an ad pitching training for more skilled workers and builders.

An ad for Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy opens with a breast cancer patient saying "bills are overwhelming, and groceries, rent, and gas are more expensive too."

"Cost of living, the energy prices, the gas prices, it's really affecting those of us that live in this valley," a man says in an ad supporting California Republican Rep. David Valadao. An ad for Massachusetts Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Minogue refers to "skyrocketing electric bills, taxes, and housing costs."

An attack ad from a group aligned with Sen. Ted Cruz hits Texas Democrat James Talarico — running against Republican Ken Paxton — for hurting taxpayers "while your costs are skyrocketing."

A Republican National Committee fundraising text sent last week under Vice President JD Vance's name read: "If you can't give right now, don't... Groceries cost what they cost."