WASHINGTON — The White House tried to fudge the numbers Thursday after newly released data revealed that consumer prices jumped by 8.2% year-over-year last month — with President Biden insisting he’s made “progress” tackling the problem and that inflation really is on a 2% trajectory.
“Today’s report shows some progress in the fight against higher prices, even as we have more work to do,” Biden said in a written statement. “Inflation over the last three months has averaged 2%, at an annualized rate. That’s down from 11% in the prior quarter.”
Critics blasted the message as deceptive and reminiscent of Biden’s August claim that there was “zero inflation” in July despite the federal Consumer Price Index tracking an 8.5% annual jump in costs that month.
On social media, skeptics said Biden’s claim had to be fact-checked, pointing out that CPI data for September showed a 13% annual jump in the cost of groceries, a 19.8% jump in energy prices and a 6.6% increase in housing expenses.
