Doing the Numbers: Has America Really Become the "Hottest" Country in the World?
President Trump has repeatedly bragged to American people and the world how under his great leadership gas prices were down, grocery prices were down, there was no inflation, America was respected again by every nation, and America was now “the hottest country in the world.” Let’s do the numbers:
Gas prices down?
President Trump said, “Gasoline is around $2.40 right now” a few weeks ago. There was, however, no gas station at the time selling $2.40 a gallon gas, as a reporter pointed out. As of this writing, the national average is about $3.159 per gallon for regular unleaded. The highest averages are in Arizona ($3.547), California ($4.646), Nevada ($3.906), Oregon ($4.171) and Washington ($4.532), while the lowest are in Texas ($2.752), Louisiana ($2.745), Mississippi ($2.701), Alabama ($2.790), and Tennessee ($2.784). One wonders who briefed the president on gas.
Grocery prices down?
Grocery shoppers know that prices are still going up, not coming down. The Consumer Price Index Summary for August 2025, makes it clear. Compared with July 2024, the index for food at home rose 2.7%; meats, poultry, fish, and eggs, rose 5.6%; nonalcoholic beverages rose 4.6%; and fruits and vegetables rose 1.9%. According to CBS News, a pound of ground beef at $5.55 in January, for instance, was $6.32 in August, and a pound of ground coffee at $7.02 in January was $8.87 in August. Vice President JD Vance even admitted that groceries were still too expensive, but he blamed President Biden for a “disastrous economy” that Trump had inherited.
No inflation?
Inflation is measured with or without food and energy, as shown in the latest CPI release: The all-items index rose 2.9% for the 12 months ending August, after rising 2.7% over the 12 months ending July; the all-items-less-food-and-energy index rose 3.1% over the last 12 months. Michael Strain, director of economic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, told CBS News that inflation had not been defeated, was still above the Fed’s 2% target, and that it was actually re-accelerating.
https://www.postalley.org/2025/10/04/doing-the-numbers-has-america-really-become-the-hottest-country-in-the-world/
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