Trump makes stunning admission: I have not done a ‘good job’ explaining this issue
President Donald Trump claimed the U.S. has a strong economy on Thursday, but conceded he has not done a "good job" explaining why.
Most recent polls show Trump with low approval ratings on his handling of the economy, the cost of living and gas prices. But despite widespread dissatisfaction with the economy, Trump argued on Thursday that "costs are coming way down."
"The Democrats gave us the highest cost in history. They gave us the highest inflation in history. As you know, costs are coming way down. Oil is lower now than it was in the Biden administration, and the difference is Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. They would have had a nuclear weapon in the Biden administration," Trump told reporters before leaving for Texas.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that gas prices under former President Joe Biden were "much higher" than they are right now. Government data shows the national average gas price during Trump's less than two years in office is nearly the same as the average over Biden's full four years.
The average price of gas over Biden's full term in office was about $3.45 per gallon, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration data. Since the start of Trump's second term, the average price of gas has been about $3.42 per gallon.
The average cost of gas in the U.S. is $4.41 per gallon as of Thursday, according to AAA. Diesel hit a record high of about $6.52 per gallon on Sept. 22.
Trump then claimed that costs are continuing to drop, arguing that inflation is also in "control." While inflation cooled off slightly last month, it still rose 3.4% from last August.
He suggested that negative perceptions on the economy are because he has not explained it well enough.
"Costs are way down, and they're coming down further. We have inflation totally in control, and we've done a great job. And the thing I haven't done a good job with is explaining it to people," Trump said.
"We have the most successful period of time for a president in terms of building our country in the history of our country. There's never been a time like this. We were a dead country two years ago. Now we're the hottest country in the world," he added.
A recent AP-NORC Center poll found that Trump's economic messaging has not resonated with Americans.
Sixty-five percent of Americans said high prices are a result of Trump's policies, according to the latest AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll. Another 33% said higher prices were due to factors outside Trump's control.
The Associated Press reported that more voters blame Trump for higher prices than blamed former President Joe Biden in the lead up to the 2022 midterm elections. In October 2022, 44% blamed Biden's policies for high prices, while 55% said high prices were out of his control.
Stories by Lauren Sforza
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