Fox News host Sandra Smith seemed puzzled when she questioned Mike Neris, a senior adviser to former Vice President Kamala Harris, about the current inflation rate.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by 2.7% year-on-year in June. However, on July 15th, Neris suggested the rate was around 3% or 4% when asked by Smith for his thoughts on it.
“We need to get back to the basics of addressing inflation and communicate the issues more simply. Things won’t be resolved overnight,” Neris noted. He also pointed out that Donald Trump is currently the president and that Congress, controlled by Republicans, is on break without making progress on inflation. Trump had appeared in front of the White House recently, discussing the rising prices of beef and alcohol over the Fourth of July weekend.
“Do you know what the inflation rate is?” Smith pressed further.
“Yeah, about 3-4 percent,” Neris replied, but Smith quickly corrected him.
“No, it’s actually under 3. I mean, you’re looking at around 2.5% inflation right now,” she stated. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the CPI rose by 2.4% annually in May, a slight increase from 2.3% in April, while remaining at 2.4% in March and 2.8% in February.
Neris responded by saying that Trump had promised to lower grocery prices immediately and that, six months later, prices have only increased. Smith countered, acknowledging that while prices have indeed gone down somewhat, they could still be reduced further.
“They haven’t decreased; inflation continues to rise,” Neris insisted, citing the latest statistics. Smith disagreed, saying, “Not really. Inflation has actually decreased. While inflation typically means prices are rising, the rate of that growth has slowed.”
The Democratic Party’s official account recently posted a graphic showing a steep increase in grocery prices from 2021 to 2024, which has since been deleted. The White House responded to a similar post labeling a version of the graphic as “Biden” while comparing years.
US inflation peaked at 9.1% in June 2022, marking the highest rate in four decades. Meanwhile, the American Automobile Association reported that gas prices this summer were the lowest they’ve been in four years as of June.
