Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, told CBS that President Trump focuses on areas "we have already made progress on," and that he is often shown selective charts. Anchors noted that broader measures of inflation remain elevated — CPI is up 3.0% year over year and PCE is up 2.8%. Hassett cited narrower improvements, including a roughly 0.6% decline in prescription drug prices so far this year and lower gasoline prices, prompting critics to accuse the administration of cherry‑picking data. The remarks followed a separate interview in which Mr. Trump gave himself an "A+++++" for his economic stewardship.
Hassett Says Trump Is Shown ‘Progress’ Charts — Critics Say White House Is Cherry‑Picking Economic Data
Speaking at a rally this week, Donald Trump claimed that 'prices are coming down tremendously' despite evidence to the contrary. / Alex Wong/Getty Images
National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told CBS’s Face the Nation that President Donald Trump tends to focus on areas “we have already made progress on,” suggesting the president is shown selective charts highlighting specific improvements rather than a full economic picture.
Anchor Margaret Brennan pressed Hassett on Mr. Trump’s repeated claim that “prices are coming down tremendously,” noting broader inflation measures remain elevated. "So people are holiday shopping. They are aware of prices," Brennan said, pointing out that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is up 3.0 percent year over year and the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index — the Federal Reserve’s preferred gauge — has risen 2.8 percent.
Hassett defended the president’s statements by describing the charts shown at a recent Pennsylvania rally.
“One of the things that, if you saw his presentation in Pennsylvania, is he put up a bunch of charts — which he loves to do — where he went through the individual items that have — we’ve already sort of made a bunch of progress on,” Hassett said.
Hassett told Margaret Brennan that Trump's claims come from data showing only his successes. / CBS News
Hassett cited narrower declines as examples: after prescription drug prices rose about 9 percent during the Biden administration, he said they are down roughly 0.6 percent so far this year; gasoline prices have fallen from recent highs; and Mr. Trump had singled out items such as eggs when making his broader claims about prices.
Many viewers interpreted Hassett’s remarks as confirmation that the president is shown selectively framed data. Attorney Ron Filipkowski, who left the Republican Party following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, wrote on X that the White House pattern is to "cherry-pick positive news to show him because they are afraid to show him the truth," arguing this encourages false or exaggerated public claims.
The exchange came days before a separate interview with Politico, in which Mr. Trump, asked what grade he would give himself for handling the economy, immediately declared "A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus" before the interviewer finished the question.
What This Means
Hassett’s comments illustrate a broader communications choice by the White House: emphasize selected improvements in specific categories to support optimistic messages about the economy. Critics say that approach can mislead the public if it downplays broader measures of inflation and household cost pressures.
