What’s the difference of inflation between Biden and Trump?

1. The big-picture numbers: Biden’s spike vs. Trump’s moderation

Under Biden the U.S. experienced a dramatic spike — consumer prices rose as much as 9.1% year‑over‑year at the worst point in mid‑2022, and several compendia calculate Biden’s average annual inflation near 4.95% across his term — a salient benchmark used in retrospective comparisons ^{[1] [2]}. Under Trump in 2025, multiple outlets report headline inflation settling around the high‑2s to 3% range for much of the year; some White House statements and allied outlets present lower averages, but independent journalists and fact‑checkers describe the decline as modest and measure‑dependent ^{[6] [7] [5]}.

2. Which inflation measure you pick changes the story

Journalists and fact‑checkers emphasize that the picture depends on which CPI you use. Stripping out food and energy (the “core” measure) shows inflation easing modestly under Trump — core CPI was reported near 3% year‑over‑year in September 2025, lower than some months at the end of Biden’s term — but headline CPI readings and short‑term month‑to‑month swings tell a mixed story ^{[5] [8]}. Several sources caution against cherry‑picking single months to declare victory or disaster ^[5].

3. Politics and messaging: rival framings of the same facts

The Trump White House frames the post‑2024 numbers as “crushing” Biden’s inflation crisis and points to falling wholesale or consumer price figures as proof ^[6]. The Biden administration and some allied outlets point to the large cumulative price increases that occurred during Biden’s term and say the average inflation burden was far higher — citing the 9.1% peak and average near 5% ^{[1] [2]}. Independent outlets such as AP, CNN and FactCheck note both the real cooling from the 2022 peak and the political difficulty of convincing voters that prices are meaningfully lower in their daily lives ^{[3] [9] [1]}.

4. Policy drivers and the uncertainty ahead

Analysts in the coverage stress that presidents influence inflation indirectly (fiscal policy, regulation, trade and appointees to the Fed) and that new policies can push prices in either direction. Trump’s use of broad tariffs in 2025 is flagged by economists and outlets as a potential upward pressure on consumer prices — Yale Budget Lab and others estimate tariffs could add hundreds of dollars a year to household costs, while firms’ short‑term pricing behavior muted some immediate pass‑through ^{[10] [4] [6]}. SmartAsset and other analyses warn forecasts (e.g., Deloitte) see CPI around 2.9% in 2025 and potentially accelerating if tariffs remain elevated ^[4].

5. Who felt it: wages, purchasing power and the lived experience

Several sources underline that the political salience of inflation depends on wages and accumulated price changes. Reporting notes that during most of Biden’s term wages did not keep pace with price rises, producing meaningful purchasing‑power losses for households; conversely, some fact‑checks say wages have outpaced inflation in parts of 2025 under Trump, though economists warn tariff‑driven price increases could erode that gain ^{[5] [1]}. Polling cited by outlets like The Guardian and AP shows many Americans continued to report rising costs even as headline inflation eased, which helps explain persistent voter dissatisfaction ^{[10] [9]}.

6. Takeaway and limits of the available reporting

Available sources agree that inflation was far higher during the worst months of Biden’s term (9.1% peak) and that headline rates in 2025 have been lower (roughly high‑2s to 3%). They disagree on how much credit to give each president, and independent outlets warn the decline is modest and measure‑dependent; they also flag policy risks — especially tariffs — that could raise prices again ^{[1] [5] [4]}. Available sources do not mention a single uncontested “Biden vs. Trump” inflation figure that isolates only presidential policy effects without other global and monetary factors (not found in current reporting).