PNN – “Washington Post” pointed out that inflation is one of the main concerns of Americans in the upcoming presidential elections in this country emphasized that the economic situation in American metropolises is so critical that the programs proposed by “Donald Trump” and “Kamala Harris” were not able to reduce it and may have the opposite effect.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network, based on the Washington Post’s analysis of data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, inflation has increased in metropolitan cities that had more support for Donald Trump, the Republican candidate, in 2020.
Inflation has reached its highest levels across the United States in four years due to pandemics, foreign conflicts and supply chain disruptions, the report said in part. Overall, prices rose by about 20 percent between January 2021 and June 2024, but inflation was particularly pronounced in several swing states.
Read more:
Increasing American pressure on Türkiye to stop banking transactions with Russia
The Washington Post, noting that metropolitan cities are usually a strong base of Democratic voters and are key to the victory of any candidate in swing states, wrote: Phoenix and Atlanta accounted for the majority of the 2020 vote in their states and were necessary to turn their states blue for the first time in decades. Both of these cities were the primary campaign stops of Democratic Candidate Kamala Harris, and Trump and his running mate, Senator JD Vance, have also visited these areas due to their importance. This is despite the fact that in the last four years, the areas of Phoenix and Atlanta have also faced the highest inflation in the country.
This report added: The Las Vegas metropolis, which accounted for nearly 70% of the 2020 votes in Nevada, is very important for the upcoming elections, while this region is facing a housing cost crisis. On the other hand, Tampa, Miami and Dallas are among the five cities with the highest inflation rate since 2020.
In another part of this report, it is stated: The number of Americans who name inflation as their top financial concern in 2024 is higher than those who considered inflation their most serious concern in 2022, when inflation reached its peak. This perception can also be seen across party lines: Republicans are more than twice as likely as Democrats to cite inflation as their top concern in 2024, and inflation as their top concern from 2021 onwards.
The Washington Post, in describing the electoral positions of the election candidates on curbing inflation, emphasizing the ineffectiveness of both positions, wrote: Trump’s campaign claims that suppressing immigration and increasing tariffs will reduce prices and increase housing. While experts say the policies are likely to have the opposite effect, shrinking the labor market and passing the cost of the tariffs onto consumers. Democratic candidate Kamala Harris has also released a list of economic proposals to address America’s high cost of living, including a $25,000 first-time home loan, a new child tax credit and a ban on price increases. But those moves could also raise costs and push up prices just as inflation has hit a three-year low and interest rates are on the verge of falling.