Trump Touts Economy as Inflation Rises to 3.7 Percent
Left 75%
Center 25%
Right 0%
3 left · 1 center · 0 right
What happened
On Wednesday the government released the September Consumer Price Index showing prices rose 0.6 percent from August after a 0.4 percent rise the month before, the largest monthly gain in five months, and were up 3.7 percent from a year earlier. Gasoline prices jumped 9.1 percent month-over-month and 34.2 percent from the prior September. President Donald Trump, at campaign rallies in Wasilla, Alaska, on Tuesday and Kalispell, Montana, on Wednesday, said inflation was very little or nonexistent, prices had been reduced substantially, the country is richer, and the economy is booming. National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett called the inflation spike disappointing and blamed an energy shock from the war in Iran while citing other elements of the report as good news. Real paychecks have fallen year-over-year for a sixth consecutive month.
Sourcing check · Fully on the record · 4 articles
4 of 4 articles cite a named source for the story. It was on the record from the first report.
What these terms mean and how they're counted
- On the record · names a source 4 of 4
- On the record means the article cites a source by name for the story's main claim: a person, or an institution speaking officially, such as a company statement or a named agency's spokesperson. The opposite is an unnamed source. The count is how many of the counted articles cite at least one such source; the names are everyone named across them, each once however the articles spell it. Here: Kevin Hassett, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Moneen Ahlquist, Megan Gurhlke, Gary Hanson and Jennifer Piperakis
- Primary evidence · cites a document or data 2 of 4
- Primary evidence means the article cites a record you could check yourself: a court filing or ruling, a dataset or report, a recording or transcript, an official statement or press release, market data. A quote is not a document. The count is how many articles cite one. Here: official statistics, CPI report
- Credits another outlet 0 of 4
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- Unnamed sources 0 of 4
- The main claim is attributed to people who are not identified: “people familiar with the matter”, “officials said”. The count is how many articles do this.
- How it developed
- When the first report landed and whether it named anyone; when the first named source and the first document appeared. Here: First report Oct 14, 16:25 UTC by Mother Jones, naming its source. First document in the first report, from Mother Jones (official statistics).
- Not counted 0
- Opinion, analysis and video pieces, and articles too short to assess. Every count above is out of the counted articles. An article republished under a new headline is one article.
This is about who is cited, not whether the story is true. Each source below says what it names. How we count
ONE-SIDED THIS WEEK.
Only left-leaning outlets have covered this story in the last two days;
Daily Wire reported it on 2026-10-14.
Omitted — what each side leaves out
Unpacked
Right-leaning outlets had not covered the September inflation report as of publication, leaving those readers without the clash between the new CPI figures and Trump's rally claims that the economy is thriving. Left-leaning coverage reports that prices rose 3.7 percent over the past year. Trump tells a Montana crowd there is "very little inflation" in NBC News's account. The monthly gain was the largest in five months in Mother Jones's telling. Democrats moved on the report as proof that household prices are still rising.
Left-leaning coverage cannot agree on the White House spin of that same report. The spike is "disappointing" according to Mother Jones. It contains a "bunch of good news" according to The Hill.
How does the White House square the new CPI print with the claim that inflation is little?
Bottom line
A right-leaning reader would not know September inflation came in at 3.7 percent year over year. NBC News had Trump in Montana saying there is very little inflation anyway.
The receipts — 1 fact one side's coverage lacks
- Trump claimed at a Wasilla rally to have reduced prices very substantially for Americans
The Left View
Mother Jones, NBC News, The Hill, and CBS News reported the September CPI numbers against Trump’s rally claims of a strong economy and little inflation. Mother Jones detailed the 0.6 percent monthly acceleration, the gasoline spike, six months of shrinking real pay, Hassett’s “disappointing” comment, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s claim of 5.9 percent cumulative inflation since December 2024 costing families $3,772. NBC News covered Trump’s Montana speech on investment, jobs, and tariffs and quoted supporters who said grocery, housing, and fuel costs pinch them but largely did not blame Trump. The Hill quoted Hassett telling NewsNation he saw a bunch of good news in the 3.7 percent year-over-year figure. CBS News noted inflation outpaced forecasts while Trump insisted “we’re richer now.”
Our Take (balanced)
The story is substantive: it rests on a named government CPI release with specific percentages, on-the-record remarks by President Trump at identified rallies, comments by named White House official Kevin Hassett, and a public statement by Sen. Elizabeth Warren. The inflation figures, gasoline increases, and Trump’s quoted claims are established; Warren’s family-cost figure and supporter interviews are reported statements, not independently verified here. No right-leaning outlet has reported this. Watch next for the full BLS tables, the following CPI release, a formal White House briefing, and campaign responses before the midterms.
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