During President Joe Biden's troubled presidency, the media went to extraordinary lengths to protect him. Perhaps no other issue hurt him more than inflation and the economy, and to counter that, a narrative emerged in the media that the economy under Biden was actually great and that the rising prices that were wreaking havoc on Americans’ wallets and bank accounts weren’t really happening and were actually going down, giving the impression that Biden’s policies were successfully taming the beast of inflation, even though they weren’t.
The Washington Post reported in May of 2024 that grocers were "finally lowering prices," and gave Biden credit, of course.
The White House — which has been pressing retailers to lower prices — took credit for the rollbacks, posting on X: “President Biden called on grocery chains making record profits to lower prices for consumers — and they’re answering the call.”
"Americans might be noticing markdowns for some everyday essentials during their weekly grocery runs," CNN reported at the time.
If you don't remember seeing any relief at the supermarket, you're not alone. But, boy, did the media want you to believe you were really saving a bunch of money thanks to Biden! Heck, even after the election, NBC News declared in November that the cost of Thanksgiving dinner was “historically affordable.”
And they were serious.
We were treated to stories like this throughout Biden’s presidency, as headlines celebrated falling prices that weren’t actually falling or a decline in the inflation rate as proof that Biden’s policies had made life more affordable, even though they didn’t actually bring any relief at the checkout aisles or the gas pump.
Fast forward to today, and the media portrayal of economic recovery is conspicuously absent following Donald Trump's return to the presidency. Democrats and the media have miraculously noticed that prices are ridiculously high and are literally blaming Trump for not doing anything about it.
“Egg prices have hit an all-time high on the third day of Donald Trump’s presidency,” the New Republic reported January 23.
“Egg prices soar across US despite Donald Trump's claim he would lower cost,” reported the Express a day later.
“'Soaring': Price of grocery staple Trump promised to make cheaper hits new record high,” reported Raw Story.
Related: What? Trump Hasn’t Fixed Four Years Of Biden’s Messes In Four Days?
It’s funny, isn’t it? Despite years of rampant inflation under Joe Biden, the mainstream media either insisted that inflation was going down or that prices were going down, or blamed high prices on price gouging, and now we’re being pummeled with stories wondering why Donald Trump hasn’t brought down prices yet.
This shift in the media’s narrative is a glaring example of how partisan bias drives their coverage. Under Biden, the same rising prices that are now pinned on Trump were downplayed. Now that Trump is back in the White House, those same prices are suddenly a damning indictment of Trump, representing a failed campaign promise mere days into his presidency.
This is more than a case of biased journalism; it’s an overt manipulation of facts to fit a political narrative. The media’s shift in tone is a stark reminder that economic realities are too often obscured by partisan lenses. The new trend of scapegoating Trump for inflation, while ignoring the same complexities the media glossed over with Biden, is deeply troubling because it's only going to get worse.
