Five months before crucial US midterm elections that could plunge their administration into fresh jeopardy, it’s a brave president who tells voters: “I love the inflation”. Or a really foolhardy or callous one.
On Wednesday, Donald Trump did just that, while reacting to news that would make most elected officials run for the hills.
Annual inflation in the United States has now risen to 4.2%, its highest level in three years. April’s numbers were bad enough, reaching a worrying 3.8%, but additional price rises in May, linked to rising energy costs caused by Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, are showing the real costs of Trump’s decision to wage war in the Middle East.
Shorts
Behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, Trump waved away any suggestion that the data, published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, should concern him. “I love it. The numbers were great,” he insisted.
