KALISPELL, Montana — On a day when U.S. inflation climbed 3.7% over the past year, President Donald Trump told a rally in Montana on Wednesday that “we have very low inflation.”
Three weeks before the midterm elections, Trump touted the booming economy as he campaigned for Republican candidates in the final leg of a Western swing.
He told the crowd that poverty had decreased and incomes had increased. More than $22 trillion is flowing into the country, and with record investment levels, “They’re building factories all over Montana, they’re building factories all over…”
“Everybody, we had a great time,” he said.
However, the economic recovery he describes is not what many say is reality.
In interviews before Trump took office, some supporters who came to see him said they were feeling the pinch from grocery, housing and fuel costs.
Moneen Ahlquist, an 84-year-old homemaker who lives in Missoula, said she carefully combines errands into one trip so she can park her car in the garage and save money on gas.
“We shop at the grocery store, where we can get gas and get a few cents off,” she said.
Megan Gurhlke, 44, who works on a dairy farm, said three of her four family members work full time, but “we can’t afford to buy things because they’re so expensive.”
“I represent the majority of our country,” she said. “We’re barely making ends meet, but we work hard to do it.”
If there’s any encouraging news for Trump in the face of this sentiment, it’s that his supporters don’t think he’s at fault. Some agree with Trump that former President Joe Biden is responsible for high prices. Others say they are prepared to wait patiently for Trump’s policies to take full effect and make life more affordable.
“Now, they [prices] “Things are getting worse,” said Gary Hanson, a 67-year-old hardware store owner in Kalispell. “It’s going to take a long time to turn everything around, and that’s what Trump wants to see.”
While waiting in line for the president, Jennifer Piperakis, 53, mentioned that it cost $200 to fill up her truck with diesel.
“Gas prices are ridiculously high,” she said. Still, she said, “I love President Trump. I love what he’s doing for veterans. He doesn’t care about himself. He just wants to try to help. My husband is a veteran. Biden is not doing anything for him.”
Elections often hinge on the economy. Polls show voters’ dissatisfaction with the economy could cost Republicans their slim majority in Congress.
Trump’s message as he campaigned across the country was that people were not hurt; people were not hurt. They are thriving. In a speech Wednesday, he noted that rising stocks are boosting retirement savings. He acknowledged that fuel costs are higher but expects them to fall once the war with Iran ends.
He defended the tariffs he imposed on foreign countries, saying they created considerable wealth.
“We are richer now,” he said. “We’re making more money there now than ever before – and we have more jobs than ever before. Remember that.”
As for inflation, he said “we don’t have inflation.”