A respected economist expressed disbelief over several economic claims made by President Donald Trump during a Tuesday interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham. The appearance on The Ingraham Angle covered a wide range of topics, including potential successors in the Trump family, the White House ballroom renovation, and the state of the U.S. economy under his trade policies.
During the discussion, Trump asserted that beef prices remain high because “farmers are doing well.” He also predicted that coffee prices would soon drop, saying, “We’re going to be removing some tariffs.” These statements quickly drew attention from economists who questioned their accuracy and logic.
Justin Wolfers, a professor of economics at the University of Michigan, responded to the remarks during an appearance on CNN’s The Source with host Kaitlan Collins.
“Look, every word the president just said is a lie, and worse than that, it’s such a lie that I worry that there’s literally a break with reality inside the man’s mind,” Wolfers said. “I can tell you that because I’m a statistics nerd, and you can go to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. They’ve got people in supermarkets all across the country, and almost every category of goods or services sees the prices rising.” Wolfers went on to emphasize that inflation remains a measurable and ongoing issue, contradicting Trump’s claims.
“There’s a reasonable argument to be had: Is inflation too high? Is inflation too low? But we have inflation. It’s positive,” he said. “And it’s not just the nerds at the BLS who see it. When companies are giving their earnings reports, they’re telling us they’re raising their prices, and every single viewer on the other side of this television set knows exactly what’s happening, which is that prices are rising.”
He concluded by questioning Trump’s motives for making such statements. “I don’t understand the logic of looking us in the eye and telling us an outright falsehood,” Wolfers added.
Economists have long debated the president’s trade policies and their impact on American consumers. Trump’s tariffs on imported goods, particularly from China, were intended to boost domestic industries but were often criticized for driving up prices on everyday products.
Wolfers’ comments reflect a broader concern among experts that political messaging around economic issues is increasingly detached from real-world data. Trump has not responded directly to Wolfers’ criticism, but his remarks continue to fuel discussion about the accuracy of his economic assertions and their effect on public understanding of inflation and trade.