Trump's Economic Promises: Are Prices Really Going Down?

Thu Nov 06 2025 05:43:34 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

A year after taking office, President Trump faces scrutiny over his commitment to lower living costs, including groceries and energy prices. This article analyzes the truth behind his pledges amidst rising inflation.

After winning a second term on a promise to tackle inflation, President Trump's efforts to reduce prices on groceries, electricity, and gasoline are under examination. Despite some fluctuating prices, data indicates overall increases, prompting questions on how much control the administration has over such economic factors.

President Donald Trump was swept to power for a second time on the back of a central campaign promise to tackle inflation.

The steep rise in the cost of living was top of voters' minds and Trump blamed President Joe Biden.

He also made sweeping promises to bring down prices for Americans starting on day one.

One year on from his victory, BBC Verify revisits some of the president's claims.

Groceries

When I win, I will immediately bring prices down, starting on Day One, Trump declared at an August 2024 news conference surrounded by packaged foods, milk, meats, and eggs.

Official data - which includes a four-month period when Biden was still president - shows grocery prices rose by 2.7% in the 12 months to September 2025, with some items seeing significantly sharper increases:

Coffee: 18.9%
Ground beef: 12.9%
Bananas: 6.9%

Since Trump took office in January, the data also shows that apart from one recorded fall in April, grocery prices have risen each month.

Food economics expert Professor David Ortega noted, The president of the United States has very little control over the price of food, especially in the short term. Tariffs imposed by Trump on imports are suspected to be driving up prices of certain goods.

Electricity

During his campaign, Trump pledged to cut electricity bills sharply. However, electricity prices have instead risen since he took office, reaching an average residential rate of 17.62 cents per kWh in August 2025.

Cars

Trump’s campaign also promised reductions in car prices, yet data shows the average price of a new car topped $50,000 for the first time ever in September, signaling the opposite trend.

Gasoline

Trump promised to lower gasoline prices to below $2 a gallon. However, the average price has only decreased slightly to around $3.079, far from his goal.

A White House official defended the administration by citing regulatory actions to curb costs, yet economic analysts argue that inflation trends persist regardless of political promises.