Inflation hits back hard at Trump, who spins heads with comments 

A new report on Wednesday showed inflation rising 4.2 percent in May, marking its highest level in three years and underlining how hard the Iran war is hitting consumers.

The Labor Department report is unwelcome news for President Trump and the GOP in an election year where affordability is the dominant issue. Democrats were already preparing campaign ads to hit the GOP hard over both the Iran war and Trump’s handling of the economy in general. 

The report, coupled with Trump’s renewed strikes against Iran, rocked the stock market, one of Trump’s preferred economic indicators. The Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted over 900 points, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq also dropping.

The president offered some head-spinning remarks in response to the news, saying he “loves” inflation, touting the rising stock market throughout his second term and saying the U.S. snuck 22 tankers carrying millions of barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz. 

“No, I love it. The numbers were great,” Trump said when asked if he was concerned about the latest data.

Trump sought to clarify the comments, telling the New York Post that he loved that inflation wasn’t even higher. 

“I was talking about inflation numbers that will be so good as soon as the war ends. The numbers will come way down, that’s what I’m talking about,” Trump said. “I’m always taken out of context.”

Trump noted in Truth Social post following his remarks to reporters that the U.S. military executed........

© The Hill