CBS host Margaret Brennan pressed Vice President J.D. Vance on Sunday over the Trump administration’s failure to lower consumer prices, despite a wave of executive orders signed during President Donald Trump’s first days back in office.
“You campaigned on lowering prices for consumers,” Brennan began during Face the Nation. “We’ve seen all of these executive orders. Which one lowers prices?” Vance defended the administration’s actions, arguing that the orders were part of a broader strategy to strengthen the economy.
“Well, first of all, we have done a lot, and there have been a number of executive orders that have caused, already, jobs to start coming back into our country, which is a core part of lowering prices,” Vance explained.
He went on to say that Trump’s policies aimed to “raise wages so that people can afford to buy the things that they need.” Brennan, however, pressed for specifics. “So, grocery prices aren’t going to come down?”
Vance pushed back, assuring Brennan that prices would eventually decrease. “No, Margaret, prices are going to come down, but it’s going to take a little bit of time, right?” he insisted. “The president has been president for all of five days. I think that in those five days, he’s accomplished more than Joe Biden did in four years.”
Brennan pressed further, pointing out the disconnect between campaign promises and immediate results. “But the price of eggs,” she said. “The things that people see… you were talking about bacon on the campaign trail. Those things—when do consumers actually get to touch and feel a difference in their lives?”
She also challenged the relevance of Trump’s executive orders to economic issues. “The flurry of executive orders, most of them weren’t about the economy,” she added. “Many of them were, though, Margaret,” Vance replied, doubling down on his defense of the administration’s actions.
The exchange highlights mounting pressure on the Trump administration to deliver on its economic promises, especially in light of rising costs for everyday essentials like groceries. While Vance emphasized the administration’s broader focus on job creation and wage growth, Brennan’s pointed questions underscored public frustration over the lack of immediate relief.
As Trump begins his second term, the administration faces scrutiny over its ability to address inflation and provide tangible economic benefits to American households. Whether Trump’s executive actions will translate into lower prices or remain symbolic gestures remains to be seen.