Economic reality just slapped down another Democratic talking point. House Majority Forward (HMF), a Democratic super PAC’s nonprofit arm, launched ads claiming President Trump’s tariffs sent prices soaring. Those claims, targeting 26 House Republicans, have crumbled under scrutiny.
The Daily Caller reported that HMF’s ads, rolled out Wednesday, pinned skyrocketing prices on Trump’s tariffs while attacking GOP lawmakers for backing them. Recent economic data paints a different picture: inflation is down, wages are up, and grocery prices are tumbling.
In April, Trump enacted his “Liberation Day” tariffs, which HMF insists jacked up consumer costs. Yet, inflation markers hit four-year lows that same month.
The personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index slowed to 2.1%, barely budging with a 0.1% monthly increase.
The consumer price index echoed this trend, dropping to 2.3% year-over-year and 0.2% month-over-month. That’s the slowest pace in over four years. HMF missed the memo on basic economics.
“There’s one person who thinks everything in your life should cost more … It’s your Congressman,” HMF’s ads blare, pointing fingers at GOP tariff supporters.
But EJ Antoni, chief economist at the Heritage Foundation, counters, “The claim that prices are soaring is empirically false by any measure.” Facts over feelings, folks.
Antoni told the Daily Caller News Foundation that Trump inherited rising inflation and tamed it in months. Wages, meanwhile, are outpacing inflation, unlike the stagnant paychecks under Biden’s watch. Personal incomes in April soared 0.8%, nearly tripling expectations.
Grocery prices dived in April, posting their biggest drop in five years. Egg prices, in particular, crashed to their lowest in nearly four decades. So much for HMF’s “soaring” price narrative.
Consumer confidence is also rebounding, surging in May after five months of decline, according to The Conference Board. Americans are feeling better about the economy, and it’s no wonder. Trump’s tariffs haven’t crushed wallets as Democrats predicted.
HMF’s ad blitz follows a pattern of questionable claims, like their earlier attacks on Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill.” They’ve cried wolf before, and this tariff hysteria seems like more of the same. Actions, not ads, drive results.
House Democrats also pushed a narrative that Trump’s tax and spending bill would strip Medicaid from 13.7 million Americans.
The New York Times called this an exaggeration, noting Democrats inflated the number by including four million tied to an unrelated policy expiration. Truth takes a backseat.
The actual House proposal would remove 1.4 million unauthorized migrants from state Medicaid programs.
Another 5 million could lose coverage for failing to meet work or volunteer requirements—20 hours a week for able-bodied, childless adults. Republicans argue these reforms cut waste while prioritizing the needy.
“Republicans are trying to jam this reckless budget down the throats of the American people,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries declared on May 15, claiming it guts healthcare. His math doesn’t add up, and the economy’s strength undermines his doom-and-gloom rhetoric.
“While the left cries wolf, prices continue to fall, and the economy is booming under President Trump and Republicans in Congress,” NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella told the Daily Caller News Foundation. The data backs him up: inflation’s tame, and consumers are thriving.
