CommRadio News - American Economy Update

WASHINGTON - When President Trump took office in January, he promised sweeping economic reform, emphasizing that, on “day one” the Trump led White House would bring down the price of groceries and other consumer goods.

In some aspects, Trump has fulfilled, or at least began to fulfill, that promise.

The slashing of EPA regulations and sticking to the oft-repeated campaign phrase of “drill, baby, drill,” have certainly brought gas prices back down.

Gas is currently sitting at around $3.21 per gallon, a price point which the economy has not seen since the lows of the coronavirus pandemic.

However, in other aspects, prices are not looking great for the average consumer. A recent Bureau of Labor Statistics report details to what extent.

For one, inflation has reached its highest point since last June.

“Inflation is back,” said Trump in a Fox News interview on Tuesday.

The greatest hit has been towards the price of eggs, although that change is certainly related to an avian influenza outbreak which has ravaged the poultry population of farmers and has even begun to mutate and spread to exposed humans in rare instances.

For the economic situation as a whole, Trump has made it clear that he blames Biden and federal spending for the current prices, not his own policy.

Trump is correct in that he inherited an absurdly large federal spending deficit and was given a raw deal with his inauguration aligning with a national bird flu outbreak.

But as of now, there has been no plan laid out to bring down the price of groceries, and proposed tariffs are all but guaranteed to make the problem worse before it has any hope of getting better.

It is likely that there will be further supply-side tax cuts implemented down the line to assist in the issues pertinent in the supply chain, but as of right now, the administration has made it clear by its words and inaction that grocery prices are not, in fact, their top priority.

Trip Tagle is a second-year majoring in digital and print journalism. To contact them, please email tnt5403@psu.edu.