On Friday, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg accused Donald Trump of worsening inflation, arguing that current policies are pushing costs higher for Americans.



<h2>Buttigieg Blames Policy Decisions</h2>



&#34;The president's number one promise was to drive inflation down. Instead, he drove it up,&#34; Buttigieg said in a post X.



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div>
<blockquote>The president's number one promise was to drive inflation down. Instead, he drove it up.— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) April 10, 2026</blockquote>
</div></figure>



In a separate post, he shared a video from his CNBC appearance. He argued that the administration is not just failing to curb inflation but actively contributing to it.



&#34;Inflation has tripled from just one month ago,&#34; he said, adding that it is now higher than when Trump took office.



<h2>Trump Administration Is Actively Making Prices Higher: Buttigieg</h2>



Buttigieg pointed to several factors he believes are fueling rising costs. He cited tariffs as increasing the price of goods for American households, estimating that typical families are paying significantly more as a result.



He also criticized energy-related decisions, including halting certain transmission and generation projects, which he said are pushing energy costs upward.



&#34;Right now, we have an administration actively making prices higher,&#34; Buttigieg said. &#34;They're actively making goods prices higher with tariffs … [and] actively making energy prices higher.&#34;



He also linked the inflation surge to the ongoing conflict involving Iran, calling it a key driver behind the spike in energy prices.



<h2>Inflation Spike Fueled By Energy Shock</h2>



U.S. inflation accelerated sharply in March, posting its fastest monthly gain since mid-2022.



The Consumer Price Index rose 0.9% from the previous month, driven largely by a more than 10% surge in energy prices linked to geopolitical tensions involving Iran.



On an annual basis, inflation climbed to 3.3% from 2.4% in February.



However, core inflation — which excludes volatile food and energy prices — remained relatively contained at 0.2% month over month and 2.6% year over year, suggesting the spike was not broad-based.



Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.



Image via Shutterstock

03175

Pete Buttigieg accused Donald Trump of worsening inflation through tariffs, energy policies, and geopolitical tensions. He stated that inflation has tripled in just one month and is now higher than when Trump took office. Buttigieg criticized the administration for actively contributing to rising costs, particularly through tariffs and energy-related decisions. He linked the inflation surge to the ongoing conflict involving Iran, which has driven energy prices up. The Consumer Price Index rose 0.9% in March, with a significant increase in energy prices, while core inflation remained stable.

benzinga_article

iShares US Oil & Gas Expl & Prod

F SAMSUNG OIL

SPDR O&G Ex & Prd

United States Oil Fund LP

Guotai CSI Oil & Gas Industry ETF

Vanguard Short Terms Inflation Protected Securities

SPDR Energy Select

Avantis Inflation Focused Equity ETF

ISHRS S&P Glb Engy

VanEck Oil Services ETF

Pro Ultr Natural Gas

First Trust Natural Gas ETF

VG Energy

VanEck Oil Refiners ETF

Invesco Great Wall CNI Oil&Gas ETF

HSPC

BP p.l.c.

ProShares Inflation Expectations ETF

F GX OIL

Range Global LNG Ecosystem ETF

Us 12 Mth Natural Gas

Bosera CSI Oil & Gas Resources Index ETF

iShares S&P Global Clean Energy

Us Natural Gas

Pro Ultr Bloomberg Crude Oil

iShares US Oil Equip & Svcs

SPDR O&G Equip

Trump Vowed To Lower Inflation, But He Is Driving It Up, Says Pete Buttigieg: 'Tripled From Just One Month Ago'