Trump says groceries, hotel rates, car prices, and rent are all “way down.” Let’s fact check that

At a political rally in Hebron, Kentucky, yesterday, President Donald Trump claimed that everyday costs, from groceries to rent to hotel rooms, are "a lot" lower since he returned to the White House.

While inflation has slowed and a handful of items have dipped in price, many of the goods Trump cited are actually more expensive than they were a year ago.

Did prices actually fall under Trump's second presidency?

The short answer is a big fat "no." Overall, prices have continued to rise under Trump 2.0, with a couple of exceptions. Though inflation rates are down, this doesn't necessarily translate to lower or even stabilized prices for the average person.

"Under our policies, prices for chicken, eggs, cheese, butter, potatoes, and fresh fruit are lower today by a lot than what I took office," the president said. "Hotel rates, automobile prices, and rent payments are way down as well."

"Mortgage rates are now the lowest in five years," he added.

Let's fact-check that.

What the data shows

Most items Trump listed are either a little or a lot more expensive than they were just a year ago. Grocery prices overall have risen by two percent since January 2025.

Here's what has risen in price since then, specifically:

• Chicken: According to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED), a pound of chicken breast was $4.079 in February 2025 and $4.142 in February 2026, on average.
• Cheese: There are many types to choose from, but a pound of cheddar went from $5.536 to $5.987 in the same time frame. American cheese, however, is down. Hooray?
• Fruit: Politifact reports that fruits and vegetables are up by nearly a percent.
• Hotel rates: Results can vary drastically depending on whether you're looking for budget or luxury accommodations, but a Washington Post report found that basic rooms rose by hundreds of dollars in recent years.
• Cars: Automakers are turning away from budget models, making them harder to find and more expensive overall. Used car prices are up by three percent.
• Rent: According to an extensive analysis by iPropertyManagement, drawing from government and university sources, plus Zillow, the average U.S. rent is up 2.91 percent from last year.

The few things that did get cheaper

Trump didn't get everything wrong, however. He did manage to pick out a couple of items that seemed to have fallen in price by a decent margin, often quite close to the date of this speech.

• Eggs: In February 2025, the U.S. was in the midst of an egg production crisis due to a huge, widespread outbreak of bird flu among flocks. The Biden administration took action on this before Trump took office, so yes, eggs aren't almost $6 a dozen anymore.
• Butter: FRED lists butter per pound as $4.969 in February 2025 and $4.314 last month. The large drop after the gap due to the late 2025 government shutdown looks rather odd.
• Potatoes: White potatoes took a similar drop over the year, from $0.957 to $0.866. Sweet potatoes, however, are up.
• Mortgage rates: Freddie Mac reports that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rate fell below six percent last month for the first time since 2022. However, this doesn't appear to be helping the overall housing market slump that has plagued the second Trump administration.

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