Fact Check: Did prices rise more under Joe Biden than Donald Trump?
WASHINGTON, DC: A graphic comparing inflation under Joe Biden and President Donald Trump is going viral online. It shows price changes for 12 household goods and utilities during each president's term.
The comparison has drawn attention because the two presidents served during different periods, so the graphic's timeframe matters when assessing the claim. Biden served as president from 2021 to 2025. Trump served from 2017 to 2021 and returned to the White House in 2025. His current term is scheduled to end in January 2029.
Claim: Inflation hit US families harder under Biden than Trump
In September 2026, a Facebook graphic circulated online claiming to show that prices for some household goods and utilities rose more under Joe Biden than during President Donald Trump's second term.
The graphic claimed that inflation, or the rate at which prices increase over time, was higher under Biden.
One Facebook user shared the graphic with the caption, "Inflation hit American families hard under Biden."
The graphic also appeared on other Facebook pages, including the Denton County Republican Party's page in Texas. Users also shared it on Instagram, Threads, and TikTok.
However, the graphic made an uneven comparison. It compared Biden's full 48-month presidency with only the first 20 months of Trump's second term, from January 2025 through August 2026.
Because inflation changes over time, a fair comparison should use periods of the same length. For example, the analysis could compare the first 20 months of both presidencies or the full terms of both presidents.
The graphic claimed that prices for some household goods and utilities increased less during Trump's second term than during Biden's presidency.
Fact Check: False; the graphic is AI-generated
The claims are false. The source of the graphic remains unclear. Pangram, an AI detection tool for images and text, identified two versions of the graphic as fully AI-generated. Facebook also labeled the Denton County Republican Party's post as AI-generated content.
The graphic cited the US Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) as its source.
The BLS says the CPI tracks changes in the prices of goods and services purchased by urban households and uses those changes to measure inflation.
The agency explains that an index of 110 represents a 10% increase in prices from the reference period, while an index of 90 represents a 10% decrease.
The graphic also did not state whether it used seasonally adjusted CPI data. The BLS says seasonal adjustment removes the effects of predictable seasonal patterns from time-series data.
This information matters because different CPI data series or adjustment methods can affect the results of a comparison.
The Facebook graphic appeared to use fabricated or inaccurate data and made an uneven comparison between Biden's full presidency and part of Trump's second term. It remains unclear whether the creators used AI to generate, alter, or present the data.
