Consumer Prices Reportedly Rose in March Over Soaring Energy Costs, but It’s Mostly Good News – RedState
Sometimes it’s a good thing when a news flash turns out to be unsurprising or a situation plays out the way people expected things to play out. This was the case Friday morning with the release of the March report on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), based on economic data compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The early headline was that the rise in energy prices (10.9 percent) accounted for most of the rise recorded in March (to 3.3 percent over the past year), an increase of 0.9 percent on February’s figure.
But it fell much lower (0.2) when energy and food prices were excluded from the average (core CPI), and even some consumer sector prices were excluded from the average. denied:
(emphasis added below)
Under President Trump, core inflation in March remained low and stable
CNBC: “The 0.2% is a little lighter than expected…” pic.twitter.com/iJKNddojqS
– RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 10, 2026
The consumer price index rose a seasonally adjusted 0.9% for the month, bringing the annual inflation rate to 3.3%, driven by a 10.9% rise in energy costs. Both figures were in line with the Dow Jones consensus. The annual rate was the highest since April 2024 and up from 2.4% in February.
However, excluding food and energy, underlying prices rose much less – just 0.2%. for the month and 2.6% from last year, both 0.1 percentage points lower than expected, indicating that core inflation has been contained. There have even been pockets of outright price cutssuch as medical care, personal care and used cars and trucks everything fell during the month.
More on vehicle pricing in a minute. The CNBC report linked above even called the current inflation situation “relatively subdued.”
And how did this energy spike occur, according to the BLS report? Gas prices, for the most part, are high, temporarily rising ahead of the call for a ceasefire in the Iranian conflict in recent days.
The Iranian conflict was behind the monthly inflation figures, with gasoline soaring 21.2%, accounting for almost three-quarters of the overall price rise.
The Trump administration echoes analysts, as seen in the clip/report above, in emphasizing that there is also good news, with food prices continuing to moderate. He was the director of the National Economic Council. Kevin Hassett’s main message during his appearance on Fox News Friday afternoon:
Hassett on the inflation report: “There’s a lot of good news, especially in the grocery sector. Egg prices have fallen to their lowest levels in years. Beef prices are down a lot…and even ticket prices…because of the actions we’ve taken against Ticketmaster.” pic.twitter.com/5mrLmy8A49
– Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 10, 2026
American consumers, in any case, don’t seem too spooked by the report, if another CNBC article that aired after the Consumer Price Index news is accurate. One panel analyst notes that many people are using their 2025 tax refunds…to buy their family a new or used car/truck.
This is a developing story, RedState will provide more information as updates become available.
Editor’s note: President Trump is leading America toward the “Gilded Age” while Democrats are desperately trying to stop him.
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