Fox News host Bret Baier on Wednesday fact-checked President Donald Trump’s attempt to convince his followers that inflation stood at 1.7% before the Iran war, downplaying the consequences of his administration’s economy.
“It was actually closer to 2.4%, but it’s at 3.7% now,” Baier corrected. “That leads to this next poll that we have tonight about the president’s performance on inflation, and you see the difference there from January and from March of last year.”
Baier presented data from a Fox News poll conducted Oct. 9-12. The poll showed an increase in Americans growing frustrated over the economy, with 77% disapproving of Trump’s handling of inflation.
He pulled up a graphic, citing data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, showing that overall inflation is at 3.7%. Energy prices sit at 20.4%, gasoline at 34.2% and fuel oil at 74.2%.
“Costs — that’s really what this election has been about,” the Fox News host said.
Baier’s reality check comes as the president is facing widespread disapproval due to his economic decisions and war in Iran. Trump, however, is still pleading with longtime conservatives to vote in the midterms like he’s on the ballot.
Baier’s guest, Wall Street Journal reporter Meridith McGraw, said the president believes “that putting himself front and center can really get them to the polls at a time when the party needs those core voters of his to come out and support Republican candidates.”
She said Republican candidates are “really in a tough position right now, especially with the economy.”
“They’re at this moment where they’re trying to convince the American people that how they feel about the economy is different than what’s really happening,” McGraw said. “And for a lot of Americans, as reflected in that poll, they’re just not buying it.”