Democratic Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly struggled on CNN Sunday when pressed about a chart his party recently posted on social media, which inadvertently highlighted skyrocketing grocery prices during their time in power.
The Democratic Party’s official X account on Thursday inadvertently highlighted the negative impact of former President Joe Biden’s economy while attempting to discredit President Donald Trump by posting a graph showing sharp increases in grocery prices from 2021 to 2024 with the caption “Trump’s America” — despite Biden being in office during that period. During an appearance on “State of the Union With Jake Tapper and Dana Bash,” Kelly acknowledged the inflation but almost immediately deflected to discussing Trump.
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“There was inflation during the Biden administration. I track this pretty closely. You know, I know what ground beef and eggs and milk costs at the Safeway where Gabby [Giffords] and I shop in Tucson, Arizona,” Kelly said when host Jake Tapper asked about the issue. “They went up during the Biden administration. They went up some more. You know, you’re going to see prices go up and down.”
Kelly then veered off into a confusing explanation about President Donald Trump’s tariff policies.
“I think what’s important for the American people to know is that Donald Trump’s tariff policy is very likely to increase costs. Going to take some time because of supply chains, stuff coming from, you know, in some cases from all over the planet,” Kelly continued. “And his trade policy, for my constituents in Arizona, there are a lot of products that come across the southern border, agricultural products that create thousands and thousands of jobs, not only in Arizona, but in the state of Texas.”
“And we are facing right now some significant job loss. So when you think inflation is a problem for a family, somebody losing a job is even a bigger problem. And we’re trying to figure out how we navigate that with this administration,” Kelly noted. “I’ve spoken to the Secretary of Commerce about some of these tariffs, and we haven’t gotten the response.”
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Inflation in the U.S. surged to its highest point in 40 years under Biden, peaking in the summer of 2022, according to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Voters consistently ranked the economy as a top issue ahead of the 2024 elections, expressing widespread dissatisfaction with Biden’s handling of economic matters, according to polling data.
The CPI dropped to a four-year low under Trump by April, with positive economic indicators such as manufacturing output and consumer sentiment showing resilience. Additionally, summer gas prices hit a four-year low in June, after a significant increase during Biden’s first two years in office.
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