Pro-Trump commentator says White House 'denying reality' of high prices

U.S. President Donald Trump reacts as he meets with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (not pictured) at Trump Turnberry golf club on July 28, 2025 in Turnberry, Scotland, Britain. Christopher FurlongPool via R

President Donald Trump's administration is not taking high prices seriously enough, according to one conservative commentator.

In a Monday night post to his official X account, Erick Erickson — the founder of conservative website Redstate — lamented to his 260,000-plus followers that the administration wasn't inspiring confidence among Americans that they were committed to lowering prices. While Erickson was once a "Never Trumper," he ultimately endorsed Trump's 2020 and 2024 bids for the presidency.

"This White House needs a new message about the economy because the message sounds like the Biden White House's message, denying reality," Erickson wrote. "I bought a 12oz bag of Community Coffee at the grocery store Sunday for $14.99. It was $11.99 at Kroger. And that's just one of many items."

Erickson emphasized his point by posting a clip of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller defending the administration's economic record on far-right network Newsmax. Miller's comments were spliced together with clips of Biden administration Council of Economic Advisors chairman Jared Bernstein insisting that prices for consumer goods under former President Joe Biden were under control.

"The Democrat media lies for a living. They're professional liars," Miller said in the clip. "... Under President Trump, in the last few months, we've seen the first significant reduction in prices and the cost of living since the last time President Trump was in office."

Erickson's argument is based on sound data: According to Federal Reserve data, the consumer price index for groceries is higher than it's ever been. The AAA gas price index shows that a gallon of gas is in excess of $3 per gallon on average. And while Trump specifically ran on lowering the price of eggs, egg prices climbed significantly during the first few months of his second term. According to the St. Louis Fed, the average price of a dozen eggs is now back down to October 2024 levels.

Off-year statewide elections in Georgia, New Jersey and Virginia earlier this month saw Democrats win by substantial margins. Democratic public service commission candidates in Georgia, as well as Democratic gubernatorial candidates in New Jersey and Virginia all ran on making the cost of living more affordable. New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani also handily defeated former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (who ran as an independent after losing the Democratic primary) and Republican Curtis Sliwa by promising to make daily life more affordable for Big Apple residents.

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