Rosen Discusses Prices
As economic debates take center stage in President Donald Trump’s second term, a striking shift is occurring: Democrats and corporate media pundits, who once downplayed inflation under former President Joe Biden, are now quick to highlight rising costs under Trump’s leadership. The same voices that insisted U.S. presidents have little control over inflation now demand immediate action from the new administration to address everyday expenses.
During his campaign, Trump made it clear that tackling inflation would be a priority, pointing to the rampant price increases that characterized Biden’s presidency. Inflation soared to a 40-year high under Biden, peaking at 9.1% in June 2022, forcing millions of Americans to struggle with the cost of necessities like food, housing, and energy. Yet, as Biden oversaw this inflationary surge, Democrats and media figures largely defended his handling of the economy, arguing that external factors such as global supply chain disruptions and COVID-19 were to blame.
Now, in a remarkable turnaround, those same voices are attributing the current cost-of-living challenges directly to the Trump administration. For instance, Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) recently took to social media to decry egg prices as “absolutely outrageous”, calling on Trump to “take action to bring down egg prices.” Similarly, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) attempted to blame the Trump administration for a spike in egg prices, citing the handling of the avian flu crisis.
However, when egg prices rose dramatically under Biden, few Democrats sounded the alarm. Instead, they dismissed concerns, offering explanations that framed inflation as a temporary phenomenon beyond the administration’s control. Warren herself, in an April 2024 social media post, praised Biden’s economy, claiming that inflation had decreased and that “wages are up.”
The reality, however, was more complex. While inflation cooled from its 2022 peak, it remained well above pre-pandemic levels, continuing to weigh on consumers. Moreover, job growth touted by the Biden administration was largely the result of Americans returning to work after pandemic-era shutdowns, an influx of foreign-born workers, and a surge in government jobs rather than organic private-sector expansion.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer echoed the Biden administration’s argument that inflation was beyond any president’s control. “One person can’t control global inflation,” she said in July 2024, arguing that Biden had “put more money in people’s pockets” despite ongoing cost-of-living struggles. Yet, Whitmer has since emerged as one of the fiercest critics of Trump’s economic policies, blaming him for rising consumer prices and claiming his tariff plan would “force families to pay thousands more a year to get by.”
Some of the most vocal defenders of Biden’s economic policies came from the media. In 2022, The View co-host Whoopi Goldberg dismissed inflation concerns, saying, “What do you want him to do that he’s not doing?” She pointed to external crises—COVID variants, global wars, and supply chain disruptions—as reasons inflation was unavoidable. Yet, now that Trump has returned to the White House, the same media voices are pressuring his administration for immediate relief.
Trump has wasted no time implementing policies aimed at reversing inflationary pressures. On his first day in office, he signed a presidential memorandum declaring a “cost-of-living crisis” and directing federal agencies to provide emergency price relief. His administration has also made cutting wasteful government spending a top priority, recognizing its role in fueling inflation under Biden. Trump’s Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, has already announced plans to lower food costs, citing “overregulation, too many rules, too much government” as primary factors behind rising prices.
Despite these efforts, Democrats continue to resist Trump’s fiscal agenda, opposing spending cuts and regulations designed to curb inflationary pressures. The sudden urgency from the left to address cost-of-living concerns stands in stark contrast to their messaging over the past four years, when they dismissed inflation as either temporary, unavoidable, or even a sign of a strong economy.