White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre faced scrutiny with a fact check when her statement asserting a decrease in food and travel expenses under President Biden was challenged.
“This Thanksgiving, we’re seeing important progress on inflation, with prices lower for: Thanksgiving dinner, gas, airline tickets, car rentals, toys, TVs,” Jean-Pierre wrote in an X post just before the Thanksgiving holiday on Wednesday.
In a corresponding video statement, Jean-Pierre expressed gratitude for positive developments while absolving the president of blame for inflation. Despite challenges from the pandemic and Russia’s war, she highlighted progress, citing reductions in gas prices by $1.70, a 13% decrease in airline ticket costs, and a 10% drop in car rental prices. Jean-Pierre asserted that Thanksgiving meal preparation costs, including eggs, milk, bacon, and fresh veggies, are lower than last year. She concluded by labeling this year’s Thanksgiving as the “fourth cheapest ever.”
However, a real-time fact-check, indicated by a “Community Note” on Twitter, was promptly added for users to assess its accuracy.
“This claim compares prices to last year, a point in the middle of Biden’s term. Even then, food prices are not lower as claimed,” the note reads before linking to U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics.
The administration’s internal data disclosed a recent rise in food prices, contradicting statements from Jean-Pierre. The concise clarification highlighted that prices still significantly exceed those from Biden’s inauguration in January 2021.
Despite the administration’s emphasis on last year’s figures and assertions of declining inflation, public opinion, reflected in months of polling data, suggests that this message is not gaining traction among the American populace.
“Compared to the beginning of Biden’s term, all prices remain significantly higher. Gas, for example, remains up 36% since Biden took office,” the note continues while linking to a chart.
