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Inflation claim challenged
President Donald Trump told reporters, "If you go back to just before the war, for the last three months, inflation was at 1.7%," as newly released Consumer Price Index figures showed year-over-year inflation at 3.8% in April.
“"If you go back to just before the war, for the last three months, inflation was at 1.7%,"”
CNN said the inflation rate was not 1.7% in any of the three months before the war, citing year-over-year increases of 2.7% in November 2025 and 2.4% in January 2026.
CNN also reported that White House spokesperson Kush Desai responded to the "1.7%" claim by declaring, "President Trump is right: inflation was cool and stable prior to Operation Epic Fury."
The same CPI release was described by Fox News as showing the consumer price index rose 0.6% "on a seasonally adjusted basis in April" and 3.8% "before seasonal adjustment" during a 12-month period, the highest level since May 2023.
War, gas, and politics
Democrats tied the April CPI jump to the Iran war, with Rep. Don Beyer saying in a statement that higher prices were inflicted "through a foolish war they largely oppose" and adding that Republicans were preparing to spend "a billion dollars" on a ballroom for Donald Trump.
Beyer also linked the surge to the 10-week war, noting that the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28 and that Tehran responded by shutting off access to the Strait of Hormuz.
Fox News reported that the AAA national average price for regular gas was $4.504, and it quoted Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene saying, "Inflation is rising and gas is over $4.50 per gallon all because Trump went to war with Iran."
In a separate exchange described by SMH.au, Trump told a reporter, "Not even a little bit," when asked whether Americans’ financial situation was motivating him to make a deal to end the war.
Public dissatisfaction and next moves
An ABC News poll conducted with The Washington Post found that 62% of Americans are dissatisfied with President Donald Trump’s performance and decisions, with 72% dissatisfied with his handling of inflation and 66% dissatisfied with his handling of the war with Iran.
“The joint poll found that 62% of Americans are dissatisfied”
The poll described negotiations between Washington and Tehran as stalled, with most U.S. airstrikes abroad paused, and it said Trump told reporters he had received a new Iranian proposal to end the war.
In CNN’s account of Trump’s approach, David Chalian said the inflation report poses a "real political problem" for Donald Trump and explained how it affects his approach in negotiations with Iran.
Meanwhile, the stakes for Trump’s economic narrative were reflected in CNN’s fact check, which said the current 3.8% CPI rate is higher than the rate was in each of Biden’s last 20 months in office including January 2025, the month Trump took over.
