Trump cheers steady inflation numbers as affordability fight shapes 2026 midterm battle
President Donald Trump is touting new government statistics that show inflation remained steady last month.
"JUST OUT: Great (LOW!) Inflation numbers for the USA," the president wrote in a social media post Tuesday morning.
Trump's comments came an hour after the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) — a broad measure of how much everyday goods like gasoline, groceries and rent cost — edged up 0.3% on a monthly basis in December and held steady at 2.7% on a year-over-year basis.
Core CPI, which strips out volatile items such as food and energy to better assess cost of living increases, rose 0.2% from November to December and 2.6% from a year ago.
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The release of the highly anticipated inflation numbers came as the Trump administration aims to address Americans' deep concerns over affordability amid persistent inflation. And the report made headlines hours before the president was headed to Michigan, another key midterm election battleground state, to deliver an address on his efforts to combat price increases.
"We'll be talking about how well the economy is doing. As you know, the inflation numbers just came out, and we have very low inflation," the president argued as he spoke at the White House Tuesday morning.
Deep concerns over inflation boosted Trump and Republicans to sweeping victories at the ballot box in 2024, as they won back the White House and Senate and keep their House majority.
But Democrats say their decisive victories in November's 2025 elections, and their overperformances in special elections and other ballot box showdowns last year, were fueled by their laser focus on affordability.
"Donald Trump is already failing to deliver on his promise of an affordable 2026, spending the first 13 days focused on his chaotic foreign policy. Working families are still struggling to make ends meet as prices keep rising and the job market continues to erode. Trump is showing no signs of concern — falling back on deflections and excuses that won’t work," Democratic National Committee (DNC) Rapid Response Director Kendall Witmer argued in a statement issued moments after the release of the CPI report.
And pointing to November's midterm elections, when the Democrats aim to win back House and Senate majorities, Witmer emphasized that "voters will have the chance to hold Trump and Republicans accountable for an economy that is failing them."
November's slightly lower-than-expected inflation numbers gave Trump’s affordability message a boost last month, when they were released.
December's figures were slightly cooler than the expectations of economists but remained persistently above the Federal Reserve's target rate as policymakers consider further interest rate cuts urged by Trump.
"There’s nobody who’s been more focused on affordability than President Trump," Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters highlighted in a Fox News Digital interview on the eve of the release of the inflation report.
"He’s been laser focused. Think about the Big Beautiful Bill for a second. No taxes on tips, no taxes on Social Security, no taxes on overtime," Gruters said. "Look at gas prices. The lowest prices since 2021. Look at egg prices. Real pocketbook issues that impact everyday Americans that the president is focused on. And he’s not done."
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And Gruters, looking ahead to the midterms, argued that from "an affordability standpoint, I think we [Republicans] win hands down based on the policies this president has pushed."
Democrats disagree.
Gruters' rival, DNC Chair Ken Martin, put it bluntly last month at the national party's winter meeting.
"S‑‑- is too expensive," Martin emphasized.
The cost of living has been a key issue at the ballot box the past couple of years. And an overwhelming majority questioned in a Fox News national poll conducted last month expressed concern about high prices.
"Affordability has been a major issue since inflation spiked after the pandemic. President Biden wasn’t able to contain inflation and the Democrats suffered at the polls in 2024. President Trump has had a year in office. He has been able to reduce the rate of inflation. There’s more work to do. Things don’t change overnight," Veteran Republican strategist Ryan Williams told Fox News Digital.
But seasoned Democratic strategist Chris Moyer, pointing to last year's elections, highlighted that "Democrats flipped the script from 2024 and focused like a laser on affordability, whether that was healthcare, groceries, electricity, utility bills," and said that "voters are still very much focused on the cost of living."
Fox News' Eric Revell contributed to this report.