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Democrats have maintained their skepticism over President Donald Trump’s economic performance, criticizing the country’s “buying inability” as a January report beat expectations on inflation and the job market.
January’s inflation report, released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, showed prices rose just 2.5% over the past year — a rate that brings the economy closer to the Federal Reserve’s target of 2%.
Similarly, last month’s US jobs report showed the economy added 130,000 jobs, beating forecasts from forecasters such as Reuters, Oxford University and Bloomberg.
Most forecasts had estimated that the US would add only 50,000 to 75,000 in January.
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Department of Labor shown in Washington, DC (Getty Images)
The reports are the latest in a series of reports during Trump’s second administration that have defied Democrat predictions of continued inflation and recession amid the implementation of anti-Democrat GOP policies, such as Trump’s taxes and a greater focus on domestic manufacturing.
But for Democrats like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., the top Democrat on the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Development Committee, said the numbers don’t live up to Trump’s campaign promises.
“Donald Trump has promised to cut spending ‘one day.’ “But one year into his second term, food continues to be more expensive, utility costs are rising, and housing prices are rising,” Warren said in a reported statement on inflation.
“Trump is making life more affordable for American families – and instead of fixing the economic pain it’s caused, he’s saying this is the Trump economy, and he’s ‘proud’ of it,” she said.
Among the policies Democrats believe are contributing to higher prices, Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., the ranking member of the House Budget Committee, pointed out Trump’s position on taxes in his statement on the price index.
“Donald Trump has promised to end inflation ‘one day.’ “Today is Day 389, and prices are higher than ever,” said Boyle.
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President Donald Trump speaks during the “Make America Wealthy Again” trade announcement event in the Rose Garden at the White House on April 2, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“Instead of keeping his promise, Trump has increased the costs Americans pay with his massive tax cuts – the highest rates since the Great Depression. Ordinary Americans cannot afford Trump’s reckless economic policies,” he said.
Criticisms from Boyle and Warren are not new. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., criticized the administration for spending too much even before the inflation report.
“Costs have never gone down in the United States of America. Costs have gone up under failed Republican policies. Housing costs are out of control. Food costs are out of control. Health care costs are out of control. Utilities costs are out of control. And child care costs are out of control,” Jeffries said at a press conference last week.
Some Democrats believe the numbers themselves may come with an asterisk.
Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., the top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, said he thinks the jobs report, in particular, does not reflect a strong market in itself.
“One more beat of expectations doesn’t erase the pain of the 15,000-job-less monthly estimate that was created last year,” Neal said in a statement about the labor report.
“The fine print of this report, which shows a sharp decline in Trump’s first year in office, casts serious doubt on whether people can trust the administration to deliver,” Neal said, referring to other disappointing jobs reports from 2025.
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., walks toward the House chamber on Capitol Hill on Dec. 18, 2025, Washington, DC (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Maxine Waters, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, believes Republicans are showing signs of panic about the economy.
He believes that Trump has already unequivocally acknowledged that affordability is still an issue for Americans.
“Trump has called this insolvency crisis ‘fake,’ but he knows it’s real and now he wants to cap credit card interest at 10%,” Waters said, referring to an idea floated by Trump earlier this year to limit the amount banks can charge borrowers.
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“Well, President Trump, I’m glad you’re listening, we don’t agree on anything, but we agree on this,” Waters said.
Democrats contacted by Fox News Digital did not say whether the numbers from the January report indicate the country is on the right track, despite their other concerns.
