Inflation beat expectations by dropping to 2.4% in January, according to new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“President [Donald] Trump has defeated Joe Biden’s inflation crisis in record time. Inflation is low, wages are up, and the American economy is booming—all thanks to President Trump’s pro-growth agenda,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told The Daily Signal.
“President Trump is working hard to Make America Affordable Again—just like he promised.”
The consumer price index rose 0.2% on a monthly basis in January and trended down to 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. This marks a small decrease from 2.7% in December.
Economists had predicted overall and core inflation to rise 0.3% in January.
Income is rising faster than prices, food inflation is slowing, and energy prices are deflating—meaning prices are falling, and core inflation has dropped to its lowest level in almost five years, said EJ Antoni, Heritage Foundation economist and former Trump nominee to serve at the BLS.
“Furthermore, we have evidence to believe that inflation is even lower than what’s being reported,” Antoni told The Daily Signal in a statement.
“The largest contributor to the increase in the CPI in January was the shelter index, which measure housing costs, but many metrics show housing costs are actually declining today.”
Rent prices in several major metropolitan areas—like Austin, Dallas, Phoenix, Miami, and Tampa—have fallen significantly, as well, Antoni added.
Housing costs, which make up more than a third of the overall index, rose just 0.2% for January. The metric tracking the rental cost of owned housing was up 3.3% compared to the same time last year.
Real wages grew by $1,400 in Trump’s first year in office, according to the CPI report.
“Housing inflation notably continues to cool, while prescription drug prices actually fell in 2025 — with even more price relief ahead for American patients thanks to President Trump’s Most Favored Nation drug pricing deals and the Great Healthcare Plan,” White House spokesman Kush Desai wrote on X.
“With inflation now low and stable, America’s economy is set to turbocharge even further through long-overdue interest rate cuts from the Fed.”
The CPI report comes days after job growth unexpectedly accelerated in January and the unemployment rate fell to 4.3%, according to Labor Department statistics.
