President Trump’s Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, delivered his latest headline-grabbing swipe at a major network host during a Sunday morning cable news appearance.
During a conversation with moderator Kristen Welker on Meet the Press, Bessent struck an upbeat tone about 2026 inflation and offered a simple workaround for those seeking immediate relief from rising prices.
“You know the best way to bring your inflation rate down? Move from a blue state to a red state! Blue-state inflation is half a percent higher,” Bessent remarked. “That is because they don’t deregulate. They keep prices up. Energy is higher.”
The U.S. inflation rate over the past 12 months is 3.0%. In the Los Angeles area, inflation from August 2024 to August 2025 is 3.3%, slightly above the national average.
Over the same 12-month period, the Miami area recorded an inflation rate of 2.5%. The broader South also saw 2.5% inflation, while the heavily Democratic Northeast registered a higher rate of 3.3% for the year ending in August.
Welker and Bessent then sparred about the effectiveness of tariffs.
Welker asked Bessent: “Since you were last on this program, the administration announced it was rolling back tariffs on more than 200 food products. You have said recently that you think tariffs help consumers. If tariffs help consumers, why is the administration rolling them back?”
Bessent answered: “If you look at the data, that imported goods, the inflation has actually been flat. Inflation is up because of the service economy and services. So that has nothing to do with tariffs. And many of the food items where the inflation is coming down, the USTR has been working very hard on trade deals.”
“The trade deals that have been in the works for six or eight months coincide with many Latin America, Central American countries, where the foodstuffs you just named come from,” Bessent added.
Kristen Welker: “Well, and banana prices are up almost 7%, coffee prices up nearly 19%. Isn’t the fact that you’re rolling back tariffs an admission that ultimately they do drive up prices for consumers?”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent: “Kristen, how much does your arm… pic.twitter.com/LeQoIZs8sU
— RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) November 23, 2025
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