A recent advertising campaign launched by Democratic groups, which claims that President Donald Trump’s tariffs have caused prices to “soar,” is challenged by new data indicating a more optimistic economic outlook than the Democrats’ narrative suggests.
On Wednesday, the nonprofit organization Majority Forward (HMF), affiliated with the Democratic Party’s management, unveiled a series of advertisements targeting 26 Republican members of Congress from the state of Ohio. These ads accuse the lawmakers of supporting tariffs that, according to HMF, have led to a surge in consumer prices. However, recent economic indicators tell a different story: inflation rates in April hit their lowest levels in over four years, and American workers are experiencing wage increases that outpace inflation-an opposite trend to what was observed earlier in the Biden administration’s tenure. (RELATED: April Inflation Data Shows Unexpected Drop, Reaching Lowest Point Since 2021)
Despite these positive signs, Democratic groups persist in their efforts to convince voters that the president’s tariffs are damaging the economy in real time. One of their ads states, “There’s one person who believes everything in your life should cost more… It’s your Congressman… He supported tariffs that caused prices to skyrocket.”
Yet, this messaging appears to conflict with recent economic data, which indicates that the tariffs introduced on “Liberation Day” in April have not significantly increased consumer prices to the extent claimed by Democrats.
“President Trump inherited worsening inflation, but he managed to bring it down within just a few months,” explained EJ Antoni, chief economist at the Heritage Foundation, in an interview with the Daily Caller News Foundation last Friday. “The claim that prices are still soaring is simply not supported by the facts.”
The Federal Reserve’s primary inflation measure, the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index, slowed to 2.1% in April-an increase of only 0.1% from the previous month-marking the lowest rate since February 2021. Additionally, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by just 2.3% year-over-year and increased by a mere 0.2% month-over-month in April, the slowest pace in over four years.
Furthermore, personal incomes rose by 0.8% in April, nearly tripling expectations, according to the Commerce Department. Grocery prices also experienced their most significant decline in five years, with egg prices falling to their lowest point in approximately four decades, largely driven by a sharp drop in egg costs.
Consumer confidence in the United States rebounded in May after five consecutive months of decline, according to a report from The Conference Board. This surge suggests a resilient economy despite political rhetoric to the contrary.
“While the left continues to spread alarm, prices are actually decreasing, and the economy is thriving under President Trump and Republican leadership,” stated Mike Marinella, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, in a statement to the DCNF. “It’s clear that Democratic efforts are rooted in fear-mongering and distraction from their own failures.”
Economist Antoni also warned that sustained high tariffs and ongoing trade disputes with China could eventually lead to significant price increases. However, he emphasized that such effects have not yet materialized.
WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 13: U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) addresses the media at the U.S. Capitol on May 13, 2025. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
The advertising campaign by HMF coincides with other Democratic claims about President Trump’s policies and the “comprehensive, attractive” legislation he advocates. These assertions have also been challenged, even by some traditional media outlets sympathetic to Democrats.
Democrats have argued that Republican reforms to Medicaid embedded within the recent tax and spending legislation would result in approximately 13.7 million Americans losing their Medicaid coverage. At a recent press conference, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries claimed, “Republicans are trying to push through this reckless budget, stripping healthcare from nearly 14 million Americans by undermining parts of the Affordable Care Act and enacting the largest Medicaid cuts in history.”
However, fact-checkers from The New York Times have labeled this figure as an exaggeration. They estimate that around four million additional individuals could lose Medicaid coverage due to unrelated policy changes, not directly because of the legislation Jeffries referenced.
The proposed legislation also includes provisions that would remove approximately 1.4 million undocumented immigrants receiving Medicaid benefits through state programs. Additionally, nearly five million U.S. citizens are expected to lose coverage if they do not meet specific criteria, such as being childless adults without employment or volunteer commitments of at least 20 hours per week.
Republicans have defended their Medicaid reforms as necessary measures to eliminate waste and abuse while ensuring that vulnerable populations retain access to essential healthcare services.
Earlier this year, HMF also sponsored billboards falsely claiming that certain Republican members of Congress voted to cut Medicaid, despite the bill’s actual language not mentioning the program or prescribing specific policy changes. Many of these billboards were removed after the Republican campaign committee issued cease-and-desist notices to the advertising companies responsible.
HMF has yet to respond to inquiries from the DCNF regarding these claims.
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