Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly struggled to defend his party on Sunday when pressed about a viral social media post that unintentionally highlighted soaring grocery costs under President Joe Biden.
During an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union, Kelly was asked about a chart the Democratic National Committee shared on X. The post attempted to criticize President Donald Trump but instead showed a steep rise in grocery prices between 2021 and 2024 — a period when Biden was in office.
“There was inflation during the Biden administration. I track this pretty closely,” Kelly admitted when questioned by host Jake Tapper. “I know what ground beef and eggs and milk costs at the Safeway where Gabby [Giffords] and I shop in Tucson, Arizona. They went up during the Biden administration. They went up some more. You know, you’re going to see prices go up and down.”
Senator Mark Kelly dishes out one heck of a word salad trying to explain away the graph shared by Democrats showing just how bad inflation was under Biden.
No wonder they're at 19% and TANKING pic.twitter.com/JRRd0CNOh9
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) July 27, 2025
Kelly quickly shifted the conversation toward Trump, arguing that his trade policies and tariffs could also drive up costs. “Donald Trump’s tariff policy is very likely to increase costs,” he said, linking the issue to supply chains and agricultural products entering the U.S. from Mexico.
He claimed Trump’s policies risked “significant job loss” in states like Arizona and Texas and said he has raised the issue with the Commerce Department.
Despite the deflection, economic data paints a clear picture: inflation surged to a 40-year high during Biden’s presidency, peaking in mid-2022, according to the Consumer Price Index. Polling data consistently showed that voters were dissatisfied with Biden’s economic handling, making the economy one of the top issues ahead of the 2024 elections.
By contrast, inflation had dropped to a four-year low under Trump by April, with other indicators — including manufacturing output, consumer sentiment, and gas prices — showing marked improvement. Gas prices specifically hit a four-year low in June after years of volatility.
The DNC has not clarified why it chose to publish a graphic that appeared to undercut its own economic messaging.